Ghost hunt club
by thedollars666
Summary: "My name is Izaya Orihara, I'm fifteen years old and I can see ghosts. Heh. Maybe I should start from the beginning" This is an AU fic. Yet I've tried to keep to the characters personalities as much as this story allows
1. Welcome to Raijin Academy

Summary: _"I was twelve when I saw my first ghost, or if you prefer, a spirit. I was on my way home from school, it was late then, but I decided to take a short cut. I remember looking down over the bridge I was walking across, and there it was, just sitting there, on a rock below in the stream. My first initial thought was that I was probably tired, that I was imagining things. But it was rather dark, and I could see this-ghost-this spirit, very clearly, as if it was the middle of the day. Truth is, that very same night, before I left the school, I'd used a Ouija board"_

**Chapter 1: Welcome to Raijin Academy**

He stepped onto the grounds of the high school, it seemed a nice enough school, and he'd read in the brochure that it was an increasingly honest high school, with well maintained grounds and good facilities. It was a private school; therefore, it was open to just anyone. His parents didn't have to worry, his grades were more then enough for his application to be a success. He noticed several students wearing the uniform, and other students were dressed casually, like himself. He wore black trousers, a dark red shirt underneath a black jacket that came only to his mid-section. He stared up at the school, a grin forming on his face, he got the feeling he was going to like it here.

"_My name is Izaya Orihara, I'm fifteen years old and I can see ghosts. Heh. Maybe I should start from the beginning._

"_I was twelve when I saw my first ghost, or if you prefer, a spirit. I was on my way home from school, it was late then, but I decided to take a short cut. I remember looking down over the bridge I was walking across, and there it was, just sitting there, on a rock below in the stream. My first initial thought was that I was probably tired, that I was imagining things. But it was rather dark, and I could see this-ghost-this spirit, very clearly, as if it was the middle of the day. Truth is, that very same night, before I left the school, I'd used a Ouija board. _

"_Now you probably think that's just a coincidence, that it probably was my imagination. But it didn't stop there, I began to feel things, see things that no one else around me did. At first, I was freaked out, like a normal person would be, and I was just a kid at the time. I'm not sure when it was, but I began to get used to it, eventually, I know, that sounds crazy. I wasn't like all the other normal kids, I kept to myself mostly, preferring to observe my surroundings, rather then interact with those around me. I was also a lot smarter than those in my class, I didn't get bullied for it or anything, but rather, it seemed to scare them off, not that I minded. I liked it that way, because it meant that at least I'd be left alone regardless. _

"_Back to the Ouija board incident. It was a dare, if I'm honest, a rather stupid dare, but still. I was getting ready to leave, having wanted to stay late, just so I could read up on a few things. Even the teachers thought I was weird, always wanting to learn everything I could. My main passion was and still is, humans themselves, there was just so many things that could be learned from them. Ugh, I'm getting off topic again, aren't I?_

"_Anyway, it just so happened to be that particular day that I chose to stay late, that some other kids, from my class, also happened to still be there. As I left the classroom, they spotted me in the hall, there was three of them, and they seem to be with another student, whom I wasn't familiar with, but he was at least three years older than us. They approached me and began to explain that the older student had dared them to do a Ouija board with him. I knew that most of the kids in my class were the type of people that would do almost anything if it meant they'd be friends with someone from the upper classes, that it was 'cool' and that would make them more popular. However, I was not one of those people, I never understood the fascination with being someone that you weren't for the sake of popularity. _

"_Of course, they grumbled about it, telling me that it should be my thing, since I was already weird. I didn't care, I just wanted to go home and be left alone. Whether it was just out of curiosity though, or whether I wanted to see just how they'd react to something so out there, but I decided to go with them. We did it in the library, I know, that probably sounds pretty cliché, but I didn't think about it at the time. Now most of the students believed that the library was somehow haunted, therefore, that was the specific reason for the location in the first place. It was also one of the reasons why people avoided me at times, because that was usually where I spent most of my free time. _

"_I was scared, and I knew the moment we even touched the board, that it had been a bad idea, anyone would. I wasn't scared because of what was happening to the others that were with me, I could tell they weren't making it up, no one was that good at acting; the fear and experience was real. Everyone in that library experienced paranormal phenomenon, be it voices heard or physical. However, I didn't, not once, and that was the reason I was scared. _

"_I thought that maybe it was because I always spent my time there. I didn't know whether I believed in ghosts and spirits, or paranormal happenings; and maybe that was the reason I didn't experience what my classmates had. That thought was abolished as soon as I walked across that bridge. I remember the feeling well, my heart, it beat so fast I thought it was going to burst from my chest. My palms were sweaty and for a moment, it felt like I couldn't breathe. I didn't run away, mostly because of the shock, but also because, I didn't want to. It didn't move from its position, but I know it saw me, and from the moment it looked at me, I just couldn't look away, I just-stared. I could tell that it was a woman, just from its appearance, long hair, and a long dress with some kind of shoes. _

"_I ran all the way home, once I'd snapped out of my shock, and began to do some research about the bridge I'd walked across. Whether there was anything that connected to something like a ghost or a haunting perhaps. What I found out, scared me more then I'd like to admit. It turned out, that the bridge I'd used for my shortcut, was called the Oiran Buchi bridge. Back in the 16__th__ century, the area used to have gold mines, run by the Takeda clan. That same clan also ran brothels to keep the miners happy. After the battle of Nagashino, the Takeda clan escaped the area, but not before killing the prostitutes so they wouldn't share the information about the mines. The clan members invited the prostitutes to the bridge and slashed the ropes. It took me a while, but I was able to get a picture of one of them, taken before the murder of course. There was no way of me knowing just what she looked like, there was no mistaking it, the woman in the picture I'd found, was the very same woman I saw below the bridge. _

"_I never told anyone; I didn't expect anyone would believe me anyway. It was my secret, but I wasn't stupid, I never went across that bridge again, just for the sake of my own sanity. I also took a closer look into the Ouija board itself, the basic idea of it, seems a lot more logical then what others have led people to believe. It supposedly works through your subconscious, it's called ideomotor, it's still scary to see, but it's not the work of a spirit, nor is it anything paranormal. It's your body moving subconsciously on its own, the questions you ask, you're answering yourself through your subconscious mind, it's like your communicating with it, without you ever knowing it. That would explain most of my classmates' experiences, they really weren't making it up, but rather, they were subconsciously doing so without themselves knowing it. As I said, that would explain theirs, but that didn't explain mine. There was just no way my imagination, or rather, my subconscious, would have produced such a vivid description of this woman. Had I have seen the image of the woman before I walked over the bridge, that would explain it, but it wasn't the case. That's when I started to believe, that there really was something wrong with me, even though I kept this information to myself, the others failed to do so. The stories they went about telling other students, were nothing like what I had experienced, if anything, they sounded a little exaggerated. That is, until one of them died. _

"_It was about a week after the Ouija board, I remember sitting in the classroom, as usual, staring outside at whatever was interesting at the time, which happened to be a soccer game on the field. Our teacher came in as usual, we all rose from our chairs, bowed politely and sat down again. The lesson didn't start, however. She began to explain that there had been an incident, and that she'd received some upsetting news. I glanced over at the empty desk a few down from where I sat, and it was as if I already knew what she was going to say. I felt my blood run cold, and a few of the students started to cry and most of the others were in shock. I remember the boy telling me about how he kept feeling something brush past him, or that he heard weird noises at night. All of those that were with me, came up with similar stories, telling others about their experiences, they were obviously scared. I didn't care to associate with them, merely shrugging it off, because I didn't want them knowing about what I had seen, it was easier to make them think they were delusional, from my point of view anyway. But…..hearing the news, that he'd died, was something I hadn't counted on, I just didn't think it would come to that. _

"_We were sent home early, out of respect for him then anything, his name was Gen Aoi, I never forgot that name. I hadn't seen any spirit or ghost since the bridge, so I naturally assumed that it was the only experience I had. But the day we were dismissed early, I could have sworn I saw him, just standing in the doorway of my classroom. It wasn't like my experience on the bridge, because I knew this person, I figured that it was probably just my imagination this time. The next day, I received a lot of hateful stares from the other students that were with me that night. I didn't understand, it wasn't my fault, I didn't cause Aoi's death, he killed himself, I wasn't to blame. Then I realised, that they blamed me because nothing had happened to me, that was what they were led to believe. Because I didn't confess to what happened on the bridge, because I didn't experience anything during the game. I wondered then, whether they were probably annoyed that it wasn't me, that they would have preferred it to have been me that died, and not Aoi. I really didn't care what they thought, I wasn't to blame!_

"_I knew they hated me then, because of this reason. I just didn't care, if they left me alone, I was fine. When I woke up in the hospital the day after, I knew something had happened, and it came back to me. I was on my way to the library, I had some free time, so I just wanted to get away from the glares for a while. When I reached the top of the stairs, I was about to enter when I felt something touch my shoulder. I flinched, but I didn't want to panic, so I tried to ignore it; then, I was shoved backwards, hard. I remember stumbling and then falling, a cry of pain escaped my throat before I reached the bottom step. Before I blacked out, I remember looking up, trying to see my attacker, but there wasn't anyone there, nor did I hear anyone running away. _

"_I was lucky really. I woke up with a few bruises and a sprained arm, I also had a bit of a concussion, but that was to be expected, since I'd just fallen down a flight of stairs. Apparently, the librarian found me, he'd obviously heard my yell and instantly came to aid. The sad part is, that he's the only one that didn't shy away from me. I thought, that maybe it was one of the other students, or the upper-class man, that it might have been them who attacked me. It wasn't the case, it couldn't have been, I might have been on the verge of passing out, but there was definitely no one there, no one nearby. Even the librarian had said there wasn't any clues to indicate anyone else was with me. It was put down to an accident, of course, but I knew better, I know what I felt that day, I was fucking pushed, and it wasn't by a living being._

"_After that, I strongly believed that what I saw the night on the bridge, and in the classroom, were real. I also came to realise, that even though it seemed as if the spirits or ghosts were harmless, due to the passiveness of the woman. It wasn't always going to be the case. The day I was pushed, it was him, it was Aoi, I know it was. The other board users were angry with me, and so was he, for not confessing, for not believing him and so he wanted me to suffer. I don't know whether he wanted to kill me, or just hurt me, but it didn't matter, it had the same result regardless. The angry stares, and the hatred from the others, it stopped. I never saw Aoi again after that, and I thought, that my life would finally get back to normal. _

"_But I continued to see them. Spirits and ghosts I mean. I still didn't tell anyone, but I think my parents had started to worry. I don't know how, but they could tell that something bothered me, when they asked me about it, I just gave them an off-handed shrug and that I was ok. They left me alone, but they weren't convinced either; each year, I kept more and more to myself. They were the kind of parents that worried about my social life, because I didn't have any friends. They need not worry about my grades, they knew I was smart, it was never an issue that needed to be addressed. _

"_I started doing a lot more research into the paranormal. The other side, ghosts, spirits, apparitions and poltergeists. I wanted to learn more about it, about why I was seeing them, but every time I thought I was close, I just came up with more ridiculous stories. I also started to investigate places that are believed to be haunted, that's when my parents caught me. _

"_I don't know why I told them about the Ouija board in the end; that two years ago, myself and some others from my class, along with an upper-class man, decided that night to indulge our curiosity. They were angry, especially when they found out it was a dare, they knew I wasn't one to give into peer pressure. So when I told them it was more for my own curiosity and entertainment purposes, they got madder. Despite that, they were also worried, that it was the reason for my change in behaviour, why I'd become more solitary then usual. I don't know how they made the connection, it seemed like they'd started to think that what happened to me on the stairs, wasn't an accident. When I asked them why, they just smiled and told me I'd be ok. So before my fifteenth birthday; a month before I was due to start my first year of high school, we moved. _

"_It was suppose to be a fresh start for me, maybe that was what my parents meant, by telling me I'd be ok. I didn't question it, because to me, it felt like the right thing to do too. My sisters were due to start school soon anyway, so it was best to move before that happened. In the month we were getting settled, I got to know the city, and little by little I became a different person, at least, to those around me. I don't know why or how it started, and you might even call me a hypocrite, but ever since we left what had been our home since myself and my sisters were born, I refused to let people see that side of me again. I learned in my time observing people, that it didn't matter whether you were yourself or tried to be someone else, the result was the same, you still got hurt. Despite this, I was happy, I really was. The city, it gave me more of a thrill then I ever got back in Yamanashi, and in the month we've been here, I haven't seen a spirit"_

Izaya shoved his hands in his pockets, the cool of metal brushed against his fingertips. Ever since he had been pushed down the stairs, he wanted to defend himself, so he acquired his very own switchblade, and he knew how to use it. It wasn't as if he'd had to use it, nor did he want to believe that he ever would. It was more as a precaution, and it wasn't like he could attack the ghosts with it, in all honesty, he was just used to it being there. He made his way across the school grounds, taking his time and glancing every now and then at the rest of the students. Since this was the first day of a new term, he was grateful that he wasn't going to be the 'new' kid. Because that just sucked.

He unfolded a piece of paper from his back pocket as he entered the building, along with several other students. The school was definitely bigger than his middle school that's for sure. _I should probably get here earlier next time _he thought _what a pain it'll be just to get to my locker. _He decided to stand beside the doors and wait until the crowd of students dispersed. As he looked to his left, there was a male student trying to budge past everyone, stuttering apologies and trying, but failing, to reach his own locker. Izaya shook his head, and just leaned back against the door, yeah, he was definitely getting here early, or late. _Hmm, probably late. _He thought with a shrug. Izaya watched the same boy stumble from the crowd, sighing as he pushed his glasses up with his middle finger. It was when the noise finally died down, and most of the students had followed one another up the flight of stairs, that were situated behind the left row of lockers; did the one with glasses lock eyes with him. _Don't you dare start talking to me _

The boy smiled at him "Hey"

_Ugh _

"I guess you're new too. Well, I suppose we all are at some point"

_Is this suppose to be his best conversation starter?_

"What middle school did you come from? I doubt it was mine, I would have remembered you"

_What the hell is that suppose to mean? _Izaya had no desire to talk to this boy, so he just walked past him and finally found his locker. Shoving the piece of paper back in his pocket, he opened the door and placed his bag inside.

"I'm Shinra Kishitani"

Izaya grunted in reply and shut his locker, he then made his way up the stairs, feeling eyes on him as he did so. _Of all the people he could have spoken to, he picks me _Izaya sighed, well, he was kind of standing away from everyone, so he probably did make himself stand out. It was slightly off putting, in a way, rarely was he ever approached, at least, not where he was from.

The bell rang loudly through the hall and Izaya winced as he walked just under the noise. He touched his ear as it seemed to go quiet for a few seconds and then he stepped into what was going to be his homeroom for the next however many months-possible years. He made his way to the back of the classroom, it was easier to observe from the very back, and he always had a perfect view of outside if he took the desk by the window. He glanced around at the other students, wondering how long it would take him to remember all their names. Someone soon sat next to him, he could see from the corner of his eye, he didn't pay them any mind, he couldn't exactly tell them not to, could he? Only when he felt eyes on him, did he then turn his head. It hadn't taken him long to learn _his _name. "Don't you have someone else to bug, Shinra?"

Shinra's smile seem to just widen, he tilted his head and his smile dropped ever so slightly. "Does it look like I have anyone else to talk to?"

Izaya raised an eyebrow, huh, he hadn't expected that answer, it was so…. blunt. Izaya smiled, though it was more like a grin forming. "Actually, no"

Shinra laughed, he just laughed. Izaya stared at him like he'd lost his marbles. "I know, kind of sad right?"

Izaya really had no idea how to respond, Shinra was acting like it bothered him, but at the same time, was acting like he didn't give a damn. Izaya mentally shook his head, this boy was not going to win him over here. "If you say so" he looked out the window, hoping that would be the end of their conversation, for the end of the school year. _Since when do people approach me for friendship?_

Soon enough, their teacher came into the room, he was an older man, maybe in his forties. He stood in the middle of his desk and opened a folder. "Welcome students, to Raijin academy. I hope that you will all find the best path in life for you and that the school gives you everything you need for your future. My name is Mr Koshima, I'll be your homeroom teacher, and I am also a math teacher, I expect I'll see some of you in my class later today"

"Ah. I didn't catch your name" Shinra whispered to Izaya as the teacher began calling the register

Izaya looked at him again "That's because I didn't tell you it"

Shinra continued to smile at him, seemingly completely unfazed by his attitude. "Wanna tell me now?"

"All right"

"Really?" Shinra's eyes brightened

"No"

Shinra then sulked "Aw. How come?"

Izaya almost laughed, this kid wasn't like those he often came across in his classes. He frowned a little, he seriously should stop comparing this school to his old one, they were nothing alike, that much had been obvious the minute he walked upon the grounds. Izaya then rolled his eyes "You'll find out eventually. The registration"

"Well yeah, but it's more personal this way, don't you think?"

"If I tell you my name, will you shut up?" Shinra nodded, obviously satisfied with that answer. "Orihara"

Shinra tilted his head with a smile "And your first name?"

Izaya slumped, Shinra clearly didn't get the hint, he had no intention of becoming his friend, but… "Izaya"

Shinra's eyes widened again, and Izaya was ready for the fall back, it was a rather uncommon name after all. "Wow! That's so peculiar, I bet it suits you too, huh?"

_What the hell? _Izaya found himself grinning "You could say that, if you want"

"Are you two done with your little conversation at the back?" the teacher said with a frown as he locked his eyes on them.

Shinra jumped a little, looking to the front. "I'm sorry sir" he stammered out

"Please don't interrupt me again, you may talk when I am finished"

Shinra nodded, and then e turned back to Izaya, his voice even lower "Yeah. I can tell. You're different, aren't you? you're not like the rest. You stand out" Well, it wasn't his intention to stand out, it just happened that way. Izaya stood back from those around him to observe them, not to stand out. "Like me"

This time, Izaya did laugh "You definitely do"

Shinra smiled at him, and Izaya could tell that there was something different about him, just by the way he spoke to him. He was honest, open with himself and whoever he was talking to. He wondered then, why didn't Shinra have any friends? He thought the idea of a friend _was _for them to be honest, wasn't it? Not that Izaya would know. Let's say for arguments sake, that he _wanted _to know, it would be the first quality he'd look for in a friend. Honest and blunt, not that beat around the bush, sugar coating shit. Of course, even if he preferred that someone was honest, he'd still complain about it, because teasing was fun. Shinra seemed to respond well to teasing, at least, that's what Izaya had worked out in the first five minutes of talking to him. "So, where are you from? You didn't answer my question" he then heard Shinra ask.

"I didn't answer your first one either"

Shinra grinned then, and for a second, Izaya stared at him with fear, not the kind of fear that would leave you cowering or avoiding it. It was the kind of fear that left him realising that whatever Shinra said, he truly meant it, Izaya even imagined him to be somewhat threatening; if the light that was catching on his glasses so twistedly, was anything to go by. "But you did eventually, so you might as well save yourself the trouble of being annoyed and tell me now"

"Are you always this annoying?"

Shinra tilted his head "Are you?"

Izaya grinned _touché _"Yamanashi" he finally said. _Why the hell did I just tell him that?_

Izaya almost fell out of his chair when Shinra shot up out of his and slammed his hands on his desk. "Seriously!?" the raven blinked; did he miss something? Was there something extremely fascinating about that city that even he didn't know about?

The teacher frowned "What did I say!?" he then looked down at his register, he was good at memorizing names, being a teacher and all. "Kishitani!"

Shinra gulped, Izaya grinned at him, Shinra turned and bowed "I'm so sorry sir, it won't happen again, I promise"

_Idiot _Izaya thought with amusement

Mr Koshima sighed "I know a first day can be both excitement and nerve racking, but there will be plenty of time to get to know one another later, at least wait until I've finished with announcements" Shinra bowed again and then sat back down in his seat with a sigh of relief. "Would anyone like to be our class president? It's extra work, but of course, it'll be of some benefit towards your grades later"

Shinra raised his head and then his hand "I'll do it!" Izaya rolled his eyes, like he'd totally predicted that of him.

"Ok, very good, Kishitani-kun. Would anyone else like to join him?"

Shinra smiled and then stood up "Izaya would like to"

Izaya snapped his head to Shinra, "I didn't say that" he hissed

Koshima nodded and looked at Izaya "Is this something you would care for-" the teacher looked down at his register and then back up again "Orihara?"

Izaya glared at Shinra, he'd never be interested in something like this, but now he was put on the spot, and he didn't want to come across stupid. "Fine"

Shinra pumped his fist "Yes" he whispered

Koshima smiled and wrote his name down, along with Shinra's. "Excellent. I don't have any announcements today; you are now free to make your way to your first lesson"

The students stood up, bowed and then made their way out of the room. Shinra hurried after Izaya and walked beside him down the corridor. "Thank you" he said

"You didn't give me a choice. I don't have time for that"

Shinra laughed "You don't have to do any work or anything, I guess I just wanted the company"

"You just put my name down, just for the company?"

Shinra nodded "Sure. That, and this way, you'll get to have more free periods"

Izaya tilted his head in thought, that wouldn't be a bad thing, and then he got this feeling that Shinra was up to something else. "Free periods to do what?" Izaya sighed, wondering how Shinra had even roped him into all this, he'd only known him less then an hour and they hadn't even gone to their first lesson yet.

"So, Yamanishi huh? That city has some of the most popular haunted places in Japan"

Izaya blinked at Shinra, wondering just what the hell was up with this kid. he looked so excited about the whole thing, sure, people usually did get excited about the prospect of 'haunted' places. But Izaya hated those people, because those people didn't know the truth, and how could they? Haunted places weren't a joke, they were real, the people previously in the area were real, and they were angry, upset and hurting. But Shinra, he didn't look like the rest of them, there was something in his eyes, something that told him he knew a lot more about this then other normal people. There was a serious glint in his eyes, despite the clear obvious excitement.

_He could be like_ _me_ Izaya thought, but he quickly shook that out of his head. No, he wasn't going to do this, he wasn't going to trust this boy.

"Izaya? You ok there?"

Izaya blinked again, realising he had yet to even answer him, _what was the question again? _"What?" He found himself voicing

"Yamanashi. Where you lived, it has some of the most popular haunted places"

_I could always play dumb_ "Oh. Is that so? I've never really thought about it"

Shinra's eyes widened and Izaya wondered whether he seriously might have a heart attack. "You're kidding! You must be, I mean, anyone that lives or lived there would know that"

Izaya shrugged "I guess I just didn't pay attention much" he had a feeling Shinra didn't believe him, when it came to feigning stupidity, Izaya was a terrible liar. He never did learn how to hide his intelligence, he was generally good at deceiving people, he was good a lot of things, but lying about how smart he was, wasn't one of them.

Shinra raised an eyebrow at him "How'd you get in?"

_Wait, what?_ "What are you talking about now?"

Shinra grinned "You know. The school, how'd you get into the academy? Everyone knows you're suppose to have certain grades to be able to at least get accepted"

Izaya groaned inwardly, Shinra had clearly thought this through a lot more than he let on. He was beginning to think he might just have a stalker. Izaya then grinned "Maybe my parents paid the fee"

Shinra tilted his head, while it was true that you had to have at least a passing grade to get into the school, a fee had to be paid, depending on what grade they got. Of course, students didn't have to apply for this specific school, but it was highly recommended for their education. The academy's reputation was exceedingly exceptional. "If you say so"

Izaya couldn't help but think Shinra was disappointed, that he wasn't as smart as Shinra thought he was. Izaya was rather surprised Shinra believed him. "Sorry to disappoint you. I'm sure there are other students around that you can brag with"

Shinra chuckled, pushing up his glasses "Well, I'm obviously not the only nerd at the school. But those I know from my middle school, are the cowardly types"

Izaya raised an eyebrow "There are different types now?"

Shinra laughed "Not really. But we just don't share the same interests"

"And that would be?"

Shinra grinned, raising a finger "Ghosts"

Izaya sighed, maybe he was one of those people after all. "Ghosts?"

Shinra nodded "Yes. There's a lot of untold and unexplained happenings everywhere you know. Sadly, no one takes it seriously enough, and those that do, they don't wanna be involved, as I said, they're too cowardly"

"Uh huh" they turned a corner, it seemed that they had their first lesson together. Izaya met a few people that were all into the paranormal, like those of his previous school, the ones that did the Ouija board, but they weren't ever serious about it. He got the feeling Shinra wasn't like that, the boy practically jumped on his desk at the excitement.

"So I was thinking, that maybe you and I could- create something"

Izaya turned back to Shinra "Create what exactly?"

"I just, I need some help, I can't do it by myself"

"Help with what? I'm not really interested in any club"

Shinra sighed "It's not really a club, you know, I've even got some funding available, not a lot, but it's sufficient enough"

"Why don't you just spit out whatever it is you want to say?"

"I can show you, after school"

There was just no avoiding it, he got the feeling Shinra would just continue to bug him, he also had a feeling that his 'free periods' would be for exactly this thing Shinra was on about. "Not today. My parents are working late tonight, and I have to pick up my sisters and look after them"

Shinra smiled "Oh, you have sisters? How old are they?"

"They're twins, they're only six so they've just started elementary"

Shinra nodded "How about tomorrow then?"

Izaya closed his eyes "Fine"

"Great!"

…..

The bell rang to signal the end of the day, students filed out of the classrooms hurriedly, Izaya waited for some of them to disperse from the lockers, Shinra standing beside him. "Do you live nearby?" Shinra asked him

"It's about ten minutes from here" the two then proceed to change their shoes and grab their belongings from their lockers before walking out together.

"Which way? Maybe we can walk home together?"

Izaya shoved one hand in his pocket, his bag slung over one shoulder as he turned to the boy, making them stop momentarily. "Why?"

"Huh? Why what?"

"Out of everyone you could have approached, why me?"

Shinra smiled and then shrugged "I think you're interesting"

Izaya raised an eyebrow, he then grinned "Is that so? Is that your idea of flattery?"

"W-what?"

"Kind of forward" Izaya was teasing him, Shinra's cheeks grew a shade of red and he started waving his hands out in front of him.

"No! that's- that's not what I meant, I thought- since you seem different, that maybe we could actually become friends"

Izaya laughed "Did you think I was being serious?"

Shinra pouted "You're so mean, you knew what I meant"

The two carried on walking toward the gate "Of course, though watching you fluster was kind of funny"

Shinra sighed "So mean" as they passed the gate, Shinra turned to his newfound 'friend' "So come on, how'd you really get in?"

Izaya rolled his eyes "Back to this? I told you"

Shinra shook his head "What makes you think you have to hide your intelligence from me?"

"Because it's none of your business, and so that I won't get roped into anything, also because I don't want to be friends"

Shinra tilted his head, completely unfazed by Izaya's last comment and said "Well, I've already done that, roped you into being a class rep with me"

Izaya clicked his tongue, Shinra really was persistent, and Izaya found himself curious about what Shinra was planning. "This thing you want to create, does it have to do with your interest in ghosts?"

Shinra smiled "Maybe, I'll fill you in tomorrow, are you interested in the paranormal, Izaya?"

"You think just because I'm from Yamanashi, that I might automatically believe and are interested in all that?"

Shinra nodded and then grinned "So you admit, it's a known fact for haunted places"

Izaya leaned against the wall as they stood outside the school gates "I only said that, because it's what you told me this morning"

Shinra laughed "Oh come on, I know you already knew that"

Izaya shook his head and then proceeded to walk down the street "Whatever"

Shinra chuckled lightly, staring after him "See you tomorrow Izaya!"

Izaya frowned as he continued to walk in the direction of his sisters' school, luckily, it was only a few blocks down from his own. "Why was he so persistent? How annoying" though he was annoyed, he couldn't help but feel hopeful, Shinra was the first person he'd spoken to that had a genuine interest in the paranormal, not just for the thrill, but a real deeper interest.

When he finally decided to lift his head up, he turned toward a building on his left. It was boarded off by a wired fence, so it had clearly been abandoned sometime ago. The structure was wooden and there were many windows lining the front of the building. Izaya stopped walking, he narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the top left-hand side, a singular window, and unlike the rest of them, this one was open. _If this was abandoned, why is there an opened window? _he wrapped his fingers around the fencing as he stepped closer, still staring at the open window. Suddenly, a flash of white appeared and for a second, Izaya jumped, not expecting anything. His grip on the fence tightened slightly, it had been a month since he'd seen any kind of spirit or ghost, almost forgetting what it was like. He continued to stare at it, until it moved away from the window, leaving a light mist behind, and then nothing.


	2. Friendship

Izaya dragged his feet toward the path that led into the school, he'd barely gotten any sleep the previous night, that god damn building was constantly on his mind. Seeing that

spirit, that ghostly figure in the window yesterday, it had him a little anxious if he was honest. Normally, he could ignore it, having been used to seeing such things by now,

but for some reason, this felt different. It could have been due to living in a different town, everything was still new to him, and since he had to look after his sisters, he was unable

to research anything to do with the building. That hadn't stopped his mind from wandering about the possibilities, what was the building originally? Did it have any kind of past?

Why was it blocked off? How long ago had it been abandoned?

Izaya rubbed his temple with two fingers, perhaps it was kind of stupid to get all worked up over it, he was so damn tired. He'd be willing to bet that he was probably going to

fall asleep during one of his classes. Maybe he could take a nap at lunch hour? He was sure that there was some way of getting to the roof. As he stepped through the school gates,

he heard his name being called in a sing song kind of tone, he sighed, why couldn't this person leave him alone? They had only met yesterday; Izaya was hoping it was a one time

acquaintance, someone to tolerate that got him through the first day. He then remembered something though, that surprise, wasn't Shinra going to tell him today? Something about a club? Izaya had to admit, he was curious, it was highly possible that whatever Shinra wanted to tell him, had to do with seeking the paranormal.

Izaya turned to see Shinra's smiling face as he ran up to him, so he guessed that it wasn't just a one-time acquaintance after all. "Izaya! How are you?" Shinra asked with glee as he matched his steps as they made their way to school, Izaya suddenly stopped though, he was sure that he hadn't told Shinra that he'd be here this early. Shinra turned when he noticed Izaya wasn't walking beside him anymore. "What's up? Didn't get enough sleep or something?" Izaya could only stare wide eyed at him, what was with his kid?

"How did you-" The raven frowned "What do you want from me?"

Shinra's smile faded when he noticed Izaya's sudden hostility toward him. "What do you mean?"

"Whatever. Don't talk to me" Izaya pushed passed him and quickly made his way to the building, leaving a confused Shinra to stare after him.

"What did I do?" Shinra said to himself and ran into the building. "Izaya! Wait up!" out of breath by the time he caught up to him, Shinra panted as he leaned against the locker, "What's wrong?"

Izaya didn't reply as he opened his locker, placed his bag inside and swapped his shoes over. He shuffled his feet into the appropriate footwear and almost slammed his locker. Shinra flinched at the aggressiveness and started to open his own locker, he swapped his shoes and placed his bag inside. He glanced at Izaya who, despite obviously being annoyed with him for some reason, hadn't left yet.

Izaya turned his back slightly as he leant against the locker next to Shinra's, for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to leave without receiving an explanation to his mind's questions. Usually, the moment he felt as if someone was messing with him, he'd either ignore them or try to warn them off. But he couldn't do either with Shinra, he didn't know why, why was this one any different? "How did you know I was going to be here this early?"

Shinra raised his head, blinking in surprise at the sudden conversation. He almost sighed in relief. "Is that why you're being so different compared to yesterday?" Shinra gave a small smile as he watched Izaya's body tense a little. It would seem, that this was how the other raven acted when he thought someone was messing around or betraying him. "Izaya, I'm not trying to cause you any misfortune or anything. I wouldn't do something like that because I know what that feels like. people pretend to be your friend, then they find someone else clearly better and that can lead to some nasty comments or maybe even bullying"

Izaya turned around, facing Shinra, almost scowling at him, but then he grinned. "Talking from experience?"

Shinra smiled sadly at him "Maybe. But seriously, why did you think I was messing with you?"

Izaya looked away, clearly embarrassed he'd been wrong. Of course, Shinra could still be lying, but he got the feeling that wasn't the case, given how honest Shinra had been thus far. "I never told you I would be here this early"

Shinra chuckled "Ok. it might seem bad if you look at it like _that. _But I can honestly say, that this was a complete coincidence, I swear. After yesterday's crowded fiasco, I figured it would be a lot easier if I arrived when no one was around, I hate being late, so I chose to get here early. When I saw you at the gate, I figured you had come up with the same idea, though I think you're the type of person who doesn't really care if you're late, so I was a little surprised to see you here"

_That's it? That's why I was so annoyed? It was a simple coincidence? _He couldn't help but feel slightly relieved, yet somehow, he was annoyed that he was. "And the no sleep comment?"

"Huh?" Shinra then laughed. "Oh come on. Now that's just observation. If the slight darkness under your eyes are anything to go by"

Izaya felt his cheeks heat up slightly. "Shut up. I was just thinking about things; I didn't sleep much"

Shinra stood up, clapping a hand on Izaya's shoulder. "Now that we've cleared up that misunderstanding, wanna come to the library with me before lessons start?"

Izaya looked at the clock on the wall below the stairs. "It's not even open yet. It's only eight"

Shinra grinned "Ah! That maybe. But like I said, being class reps, we get certain privileges"

Izaya returned the grin, removing Shinra's hand from his shoulder, this boy had no qualms when it came to personal space. "Not a lot of students would consider getting into the library early a privilege"

Shinra's grin didn't falter as he grabbed Izaya's wrist and led him toward the stairs. "Good thing we're not like them, it's good to be different"

"No argument's there" Izaya replied honestly, yet trying to free his hand, but Shinra wasn't getting the hint, so he simply let himself be dragged along the halls, fully given up trying.

When they got to the library, Izaya finally got his hand free, Shinra mumbled an apology, slightly embarrassed that he hadn't realised he practically dragged the other raven all the way here. They showed the librarian their class rep passes and sat in the far corner, opposite a computer. "You know. I'm that type of friend that you can share anything with. I might poke fun a little, but I can be counted upon"

Izaya raised an eyebrow "Aren't you supposed to let other people figure that out for themselves?"

Shinra smiled "Normally. But usually when I do, it doesn't go anywhere. I'm not everyone's preference when it comes to making friends"

Izaya thought he'd figured Shinra out yesterday, but this friend thing clearly bothered him more then he let on. Izaya honestly didn't care if he himself made friends or not, it was his overall attitude and intelligence that scared people off, and he was fine with that. Shinra however, lacked confidence, but he had a sharp mind, an easy target for people to pick on him or use him. "If you show it doesn't bother you, like how you were with me yesterday, they'll respond differently"

Shinra laughed lightly "Like you? isn't that the same? I'll still end up with no friends"

Izaya shrugged "Maybe. But you'll be less of a bullying target" he smirked

Shinra pouted "Mean"

"I'm just giving you advice. I really don't care what you do with it"

"More mean"

Izaya chuckled and then watched Shinra switch on the computer. "So what are we doing here anyway? Assuming we're not just here to discuss our social status"

Shinra nodded with a grin "Correct. I was going to print these off to show you, but since you're here now, it'll be a lot easier"

Izaya eyed him suspiciously and then glanced at the screen as Shinra found the site he was looking for. Izaya's eyes widened and he tensed in his seat, he gripped the desk with one hand as he read over the news article's headline: YAMANASHI EIWA MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT, GEN AOI. COMMITTED SUICIDE AFTER HE AND SOME OTHER STUDENTS ATTEMPTED TO USE A OUIJA BOARD.

Shinra looked at Izaya, he expected that kind of reaction, but he hadn't meant to scare him. "Izaya?"

Izaya clenched his fist and switched the computer off. "How did you find this?"

"Huh? The newspaper?"

Izaya glared at him "Why did you look this up? And what has this got to do with me?"

Shinra tilted his head "It does though, doesn't it?"

Izaya stood up "It's none of your business" he then proceeded to walk away, Shinra grabbed his wrist to prevent him doing so. "Let go" Izaya hissed angrily, but Shinra could feel him shaking.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I only half guessed that the story was connected to you. I only made the connection through various research"

"Stop fucking stalking me!"

They received a very harsh SHHH from the librarian and Izaya bowed his head in apology. He turned back to Shinra and yanked his arm back. "Just hear me out. I'm really not stalking you. remember how excited I got when I found out you were from Yamanashi?"

Izaya wasn't in the mood for his explanations, but he gradually returned to his seat. "You practically jumped on my desk" he replied after a few seconds of calming down.

Shinra scratched his head sheepishly. "Yeah. I did that, didn't I?" Shinra then continued "Anyway. Last night, I looked up the city, because it really is true that it has a lot of haunted attractions. Being one of the more recent events that happened, the article popped up, so I got curious"

Izaya sighed "Why did you look up the city anyway?"

Shinra shrugged "I don't know. Since you said that you didn't know anything about haunted places, I thought, that maybe I was wrong"

Izaya looked away from him, maybe he should have been honest with him after all? Shinra might not have felt the need to look up the city and therefore, wouldn't have found out what he did. But Shinra didn't have to know he was involved, did he?"

"Was Eiwa your middle school?"

Izaya frowned at him, but he sighed in defeat, there was no point in denying it now, he had made it pretty obvious with his outburst. "Yes"

"I take it, that you were one of the other students that used the board?" Shinra didn't seem like he was prying, he generally wanted to know, but he didn't seem like he was pitying him either.

"I was"

Shinra shifted in his chair, as if trying to pluck up the courage to continue. "It- it also says, that the next day, a student had an accident and fell down the stairs, but his injuries were light. Was that you?"

Izaya tensed again, _I was fucking pushed! _"What makes you think that?"

Shinra shrugged "It's just that the article mentions that the stairs led straight to the library"

Izaya chuckled "That's your reason? That could have been anyone"

Shinra nodded "True. But it seemed the librarian's comment about not having any other students around at the time, indicates that someone like yourself would be the only one to go there at that sort of time"

"You're not really making a lot of sense Shinra. You're just looking for excuses that aren't there"

"I'm just trying to figure it out. You don't strike me as the clumsy type, I highly doubt you actually fell down the stairs. If what the librarian said is true, that there were no other students around, how did the accident happen?"

Izaya was taken aback by Shinra's inquisitiveness, did he really figure it out just from that article? "Let's say for arguments sake, that it was me, what exactly are you getting at?"

Shinra smiled, it seemed that Izaya's way of being open with him, was to agree to disagree. Shinra leaned forward, looking at the now blank computer screen. "Kind of seems like you were pushed, despite what the article says"

Izaya's heart skipped, no one, not even his parents, had truly openly admitted that they thought he was pushed. Of course, Izaya had made no attempt at telling anyone his thoughts. Still, Shinra had come up with it, all on his own. "Why?"

Shinra shrugged "I don't know really. The article doesn't say anything about that. I doubt they wanted a panic on their hands"

"Not why about the article. Why do you think that?"

Shinra looked at him "Huh? I told you. you don't strike me as the clumsy type"

Izaya sighed, glancing at the blank screen. "Right"

Shinra tilted his head, Izaya seemed disappointed with his reply. "Izaya. Do you think you were pushed?"

Izaya remained quiet for a moment, wondering whether he should admit to something like that. He'd never voiced it to anyone before. But somehow, since Shinra acted like he'd already figured it out for himself, maybe he could? Did he honestly want to trust Shinra? After only knowing him for a day. It didn't matter now, because Izaya was already nodding a reply. _What's wrong with me?_

"I believe you"

Izaya chewed his thumb nail "Why?"

"I don't think you'd make up something like that. You're not the type to spread rumours" Izaya grinned at him, that wasn't completely true. Shinra chuckled, like he knew what Izaya was thinking. "Or maybe you are.. But not about this; the paranormal and spirits that linger around us, aren't to be joked about, and I think you know that, you respect that"

Izaya then clenched his fist, "I felt it. A hand. On my back, the next thing I knew, I was at the bottom of the stairs, and then I blacked out"

Shinra sighed, he could tell just how much Izaya had wanted to talk about this. "Did…did you see anything?"

Izaya looked at him, he wasn't ready to give that part of himself away just yet, but Shinra looked like he'd honestly believed him about being pushed. "No"

Shinra tilted his head in thought, Izaya didn't care whether Shinra knew he was lying. He'd come to terms with the fact he could see ghosts and spirits a long time ago, admitting it out loud however, sounded strange in his head. "Ok" Shinra looked up at the clock "We should probably get to class. What's your first lesson?"

Izaya cringed, that sneaky- "Math, 1A"

Shinra grinned at him "Me too!"

"You already knew I got in this school because of my grades, so don't act so surprised"

Shinra shrugged with a grin, "I was just giving you a chance to admit it" the two walked out of the library as Shinra raised his arm up triumphantly. "Honesty is the best policy"

Izaya rolled his eyes and they made their way through the corridor and descended the stairs just as the bell rang. "God you're lame"

Shinra laughed and then followed Izaya into their first class of the day. They were still the first ones there, so they took the two seats in the back of the right corner, Izaya next to the window.

…..

Lunch hour, rooftop

Izaya lay on one of the benches, with one hand resting on his stomach and the other behind his head. The sun was half blocked by one of the roof's walls and only half covered his body in warmth. He didn't care, by now, he was so tired that he just closed his eyes and a peaceful smile spread across his face as he began to doze.

"I am meeting someone here, I swear! Please leave me alone"

Izaya opened one eye when the familiar whiny voice reached his ears. He sighed and sat up, he glanced over to the roof's exit to find his thoughts to be right. Two boys were grinning down at Shinra as they cornered him on either side of the wall. It appeared that Shinra knew them, probably from his middle school.

"Don't lie Kishitani, we both know that you don't have any friends. Nothing changes with you. did you think, that just because we're in high school that we'd just leave you alone?" the one on the left snickered.

Shinra shook his head, he tried to smile but it faltered, he was shaking like a leaf. "Someone's gotta keep you on your toes, it's a harsh world out there, and you're such an easy target" countered the one on the right.

"Yeah, we're just doing you a favour"

Shinra stammered, he really wasn't good with biting back, he had a sharp mind, but when it came to bullies, he simply froze. "But- I haven't done anything wrong"

The two laugh again and pat Shinra on the head "I don't know. I think you just got that kind of look. Thinking you're better than the rest of us"

"You're probably right"

"Yeah I-" the left one stopped talking when he realised the reply didn't come from Shinra. They both looked behind, Izaya was still sat on the bench, leaning over with both arms resting on his knees. "You say something runt?"

Izaya grinned at them, his bangs giving him the advantage of coming off confident. "I was under the impression that the school had a no bullying policy"

"So what?! What are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing"

"Then stay out of our business" thinking that their conversation was over, they turned back to their 'target' All of a sudden, something smacked into one of their heads, causing the one on the left to double over. They looked down to see a water bottle on the floor. "Did you just throw that at me!?"

Izaya laughed as he stood up on the bench, he then clapped. "Very good!"

Shinra couldn't believe Izaya's confidence, he was absolutely awed by it. No one, no one had ever stuck up for him before, it was mind boggling.

"When I said that I'd do nothing, I should have specified. What I meant was, that I wouldn't go blab to the head. I didn't say I wouldn't get involved. Tell me, how did the likes of you two get into such a school? I'm quite positive it wasn't due to brains"

Completely forgetting about Shinra now, the two began to approach Izaya instead. "You better watch your mouth runt!"

Izaya's eyes widened in mocking fear "Scary!" then he laughed "So you're that type"

"What fucking type! I'm going to kick your ass!"

Izaya wasn't fazed. He placed his hands in his pockets. "Like all bullies, you compensate everything you lack with violence, anytime someone is remotely better than you, which in your case is probably all the time, you feel the need to bully them for their one short coming. Which in Shinra's case, is confidence" Izaya skipped and span around on the bench. "But! Then you come across someone like me, and you don't quite know how to deal with it. A person who's so far above you that it's laughable. Ha ha ha, it's really quite sad" suddenly, Izaya dodged a punch thrown his way, jumping off the bench. The two tried multiple times to hit their new target but found that Izaya was very quick. The next moment, Izaya drew his flick blade and continued to evade their attacks, all the while moving his blade with practiced precision.

_He's amazing! _Shinra thought, watching the scene _He's smart and he's confident _

Izaya jumped backwards over the bench and hopped backwards until his back touched the tall metal fencing that surrounded the roof. One of them, followed suit, which Izaya had figured out was the better fighter of the two. He grabbed Izaya by the shirt and shoved him against the fence, but the raven never lost his grin. "What now you little shit?!"

Izaya glanced behind and saw the shock play across the other male's face. The angry look from the one in front faded as he suddenly looked down when he realised, his clothes had begun to shred away from his body. "I think you need a new tailor. The one you have is currently not very good" Izaya's grin widened as he watched the two freak out and then run to the roof's exit. The one who was now only clad in boxers, turned with anger, pointing a finger at Izaya.

"You'll pay for this! No one makes a fool of me!" and then they were gone.

Izaya laughed loudly and waited until they were both out of sight, before taking a breath and sliding down the fence with a sigh. Shinra was grinning from ear to ear, he ran up to his saviour and spread his arms out. "That was amazing!"

Izaya smiled up at him, he didn't really do anything, but to Shinra, he supposed it was everything. "So you weren't kidding about being a bullying target huh?"

Shinra shook his head, but he was still smiling "You were awesome! That was absolutely incredible! You're smart and strong! You're the whole package!"

Ok, he wasn't really _that _great, he felt his cheeks heat up at receiving such honest compliments. "If you say so" Shinra might think he was amazing and wasn't lacking in anything. Sure, he was confident on the outside, and was quick on his feet, but he wasn't that strong, he relied on evasion and his words were his weapons, his flick-blade notwithstanding. Once the moment of adrenaline passed, his bravado would completely leave his body, and he was usually left feeling shaken. He didn't even think he could stand up right now, his legs felt like jelly.

Seemingly catching on quick, since Izaya had made no move to stand up, Shinra held his hand out. Izaya looked at him and grinned knowingly, Shinra didn't say anything, to which he was grateful for, Izaya took his hand and they stood together.

They sat on the bench, Shinra grinned as he opened his bento. "Man! This is the first time since I can remember that I can actually eat without it being on the floor"

Izaya chuckled as he resumed his resting position, one of his legs now propped up to give Shinra the room to sit down, his other foot touching the ground. "You're welcome"

Shinra smiled, looking down at his lunch. "Seriously Izaya. Thanks. I really am grateful"

Izaya didn't open his eyes, or had any intention of moving, but he didn't have to see Shinra to know how truly thankful he was, it was in his tone. Was this what friendship was all about? True friendship? To have each other's back? Light teasing toward one another, sharing their thoughts? To Izaya, it sounded rather lame, but, he found that he didn't hate it. In fact, he just smiled. "Anytime"

Shinra couldn't help but laugh "I can't believe it. Think me pathetic if you want, but I can't believe I finally have a friend"

Izaya did open his eyes then, and he sat up, leaning on his palms "You're weird, you know that? I mean, can you just call someone a friend when we clearly only met yesterday"

Shinra nodded "Only when I'm a hundred percent sure"

Izaya raised an eyebrow "Isn't this the first time you've ever been a hundred percent sure?"

Shinra nodded again, more enthusiastically. "Which is why I'm so sure!"

Izaya shook his head and then chuckled. "Weird" Shinra beamed at him, his eyes became teary and he threw himself forward, embracing the other raven. Izaya fell backwards and they toppled off the bench. "Shinra!"

Embarrassed, Shinra quickly got up and laughed nervously at the glare his new friend was giving him. "Whoops. Sorry!"

Izaya stood up, brushing himself off "You really have no qualms do you?"

Shinra chuckled as he took his bento box on his lap again. "What do you mean?"

Izaya rolled his eyes and poked a finger against Shinra's forehead. "No regard for personal space"

Shinra couldn't help but laugh, causing Izaya to chuckle as well. "I was just happy. And you were kind of my saviour"

The bell then rang and they both sigh in annoyance. Izaya then grinned and plucked a piece of sushi from Shinra's box. "Which is why I'm stealing this" he said and popped the food in his mouth before heading for the exit.

Shinra looked down to what Izaya had taken. The weirdest part was that he didn't even like it, he often brought the bento box on the way to school, his treat to himself for the day. It had everything he liked as a sushi mix, all except for the fatty tuna that lay in the middle. It seemed as though that was exactly the thing Izaya liked, of all the sushi he could have taken, he went for the exact thing Shinra didn't like. how bizarre. Maybe Izaya noticed that Shinra was avoiding it? Shinra shrugged, it didn't matter, Shinra would happily share that with him.

…..

End of school day

Izaya walked down the corridor, ignoring the students running past him, eager to get home or to wherever they were going after school hours. Izaya wasn't going home, he was meeting Shinra and would finally get the explanation he wanted about the club. He made his way into room 5-B, knowing Shinra's chosen subject biology was there. Izaya didn't care for biology, there was something disturbing about touching dead reptilians. It wasn't as though he was against research or dissections, it just wasn't his taste. He stopped when he saw Shinra with another male, he had brown hair and wore what looked to be a blazer, but it wasn't the high school's uniform. _Why is he wearing a middle school uniform? _Izaya didn't care, he made his presence known by knocking a couple of times on the empty tables. "I already stripped two bullies today. I don't think you'd appreciate that blazer of yours ruined now, would you?" Izaya tapped his closed blade on the table.

The boy simply smiled at him, Shinra seemed to catch on to what Izaya was doing and stepped in front, waving his hands. "Wait! It's not like that, its ok Izaya, he wasn't picking on me"

Izaya blinked and then pocketed his knife, he caught the chuckle from the other in the room. "So that was you huh? Gotta say, I wasn't expecting someone of your- erm, build, to pull off something like that. Though you're every bit as devious as they said. You got the intimidation down to an art form"

Izaya narrowed his eyes, becoming suspicious that someone he hadn't met yet knew about him. "And you are?"

"This is Kyohei Kadota," Shinra answered "He's in my biology class"

Izaya leaned against the desk, slightly grinning "Obviously"

Shinra smiled sheepishly. "Actually, he overheard us talking this morning, he was in the library at the same time we were"

_Great _Izaya tensed, glaring at the boy, not liking the fact that their conversation wasn't private like he had thought. But the boy seemed to get the hint, he placed his hands up for peace.

"It's ok. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop or anything. I was just- interested, trust me, I'm not making fun"

"I don't trust anyone" Izaya said without hesitation.

Kadota just smiled "I hear ya. Can't be too careful. I'll see ya around" and then just like that, he left them alone. Izaya watched him walk out and then turned to Shinra.

"Another hundred percent?"

Shinra shook his head. "Probably not. But he approached me first actually, he seemed nice enough, he's actually interested in the paranormal too, just like us"

"You were going to invite him to come with us, weren't you?"

Shinra chuckled "Maybe. But it didn't seem like you would get along with him, so I didn't say anything"

Izaya was dumbfounded, did Shinra just rely on his opinion, just like that? "You can trust all the people you want. It's up to you"

"There's not really much point if the other doesn't get along with them, right?"

"Just what part of that made any sense?"

Shinra laughed "It totally makes sense, if I'm making friends, I wanna make sure we _all _are"

Izaya shook his head., Shinra was beyond weird, his logic was completely irrational. He followed Shinra down the corridor and up another flight of stairs and along another corridor, until they stood outside a closed door. Shinra smiled and opened it with excitement, "Welcome to our new club room!" he said loudly.

Izaya leaned against the door frame, nothing but a bored expression on his face. "Shinra. There's nothing in here"

Shinra span around with a grin "Not yet, but that's what makes it even better! The head agreed that we can make this room to how ever we like it. For now, all we need is a couple of tables and some chairs. Get our laptops set up-"

"What makes you think I have a laptop?"

Shinra grinned as he tilted his head "You don't?"

Izaya rolled his eyes, god damn him. "Whatever. So what exactly do we do here?"

Shinra thought for a moment, still eyeing all the space he had, he was already planning where everything would go. "Research of course. You know, paranormal activities"

"With what exactly?"

"Equipment and stuff"

Izaya was willing to bet that Shinra didn't have a clue where to start, which was probably the main reason that he himself was here. "You don't know, do you?"

Shinra laughed "Not a bit"

Izaya sighed "You're hopeless. What are we going to do if we happen to find something during our research?"

"No idea, I was kind of hoping you would fill that part in"

"So, it really is just my brains, you just wanted to pump me for knowledge" Izaya said as he whirled around the empty room.

Shinra grinned as he recognised the teasing tone, he was so coming back at him. "What else would I pump you for?" Izaya turned to him, a dark grin on his face, Shinra soon realised his slip up and grew incredibly embarrassed, Izaya laughed at him as he covered his face. "That didn't come out the way I planned"

"Teasing is definitely not your forte" Izaya chuckled

"I guess not" Shinra could barely look him in the eyes, he was so embarrassed. "I can't believe I said that"

Izaya didn't seem bothered, he merely shrugged and leaned against the wall by the window. "What do you know about that building down the road?" he said, completely changing the subject.

"What building?"

"A few blocks from here. its blocked off by wired fencing, it's kind of old looking"

Shinra nodded, finally knowing what Izaya meant, and forgetting his previous embarrassment. "Well, not much really, I never thought about it to be honest. No one's ever said about it being spooky or haunted, or anything like that. Why do you ask?"

Izaya was kind of hoping for a different answer. After all, he couldn't simply tell Shinra that he'd seen a spirit there. Could he? Izaya cringed as he imagined Shinra laughing at him. Probably not. "I was just curious"

Shinra pondered the thought "Is it because it looks old or something? I thought that type of cliché wasn't part of your logic"

Izaya didn't even want to know what Shinra thought about his logic, the other raven seemed extremely confident that he'd figured him out already, like they had been friends for years. "Just forget I asked"

Shinra waved his hands, "No no. it's a great beginning point for our club! Once we get this place set up a bit, we can use our laptops for research, we can even document all our discoveries"

"What for?"

Shinra looked confused now "What do you mean?"

"Why document them if we're the only ones who are going to see them? What's the purpose?"

Shinra shrugged "I don't know. I hadn't thought about it. It just interests me"

Izaya sighed, Shinra really was one track minded. He then grinned "So, up for a little stakeout?"

I promise, there will be more paranormal happenings soon! I just wanted to focus on Izaya and Shinra getting to know one another a bit more first. also, Shizuo will be with us soon!

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

Also, for anyone that has seen Buffy, I totally used a scene from season 6. I just couldn't help myself ;) so that belongs to the creator of the series. haha


	3. Project 1

One week later;

Friday, 3pm, Raijin Academy, club room

Izaya and Shinra had decided to postpone their stakeout in the building, at least until they were more organised. The last of Izaya's worries, concerning Shinra's sudden friendship, disappeared. It had been made obvious that by now, Shinra wasn't going to leave him alone and took their friendship seriously.

Between their schoolwork and home life, they hadn't much time to setup the room. Shinra was getting impatient and Izaya had to admit, he was keen to know what secrets that building held. Izaya placed two boxes full of school equipment down in the corner, pens, wads of paper, folders etc. Izaya turned to the door as a table was being brought in, he simply grinned and watched. "How did I end up carrying all the heavy stuff?" the one carrying the table said.

"Ah! It's because Dotachin is stronger~" Izaya replied playfully.

Yeah, it seemed as though, that not only Shinra was becoming his friend. Kyohei Kadota was too. The boy who he had previously thought was picking on Shinra. He didn't know when it happened, Kadota seemed very much down to earth, he was pretty easy to get along with now that Izaya had spent a bit of time around him. In all honesty, Izaya kind of loved to tease him, even more then Shinra. Kadota responded without tease though, he would just get annoyed for a few seconds and then brush it off.

"_Please! Please please. We're not going to get a lot done if it's just the two of us" Shinra whined. The day after their discussion about the building, Shinra had opted to try to get Kyohei to join them, Izaya couldn't control whom Shinra chose to be friends with. Since Izaya didn't have the same chosen class as him, it was only natural for Shinra to try and befriend another for company. _

"_We don't really need it Shinra, the help I mean"_

"_Come on! I know you'll get along! I promise!"_

_Izaya rolled his eyes as he plucked out the fatty tuna from Shinra's bento box. "How do we know he'd be willing to join anyway?"_

"_Well, I asked him"_

"_And?"_

"_He said he would"_

_Izaya chuckled "Just like that? And you just believe him?"_

"_I can tell he's serious! Just give him a chance"_

So, Izaya did. He didn't regret it either, Kadota had proved to be very committed, he was also rather excited when Shinra told him about their plans for the building.

Kadota placed the table down in the centre. "A little to the left" Izaya told him, Kadota scowled at him and Izaya laughed "I'm kidding Dotachin~"

The brown-haired man sighed "Will you stop calling me Dotachin" Izaya shrugged, he never listened, so Kadota wondered why he bothered asking. "I'll go get the last table" and then he left the room again, Izaya simply chuckled at his annoyance. He began emptying the boxes and setting out the writing equipment on the table. He walked to the already placed file cabinet and slipped all the folders in one draw and the spare paper in the one below. It seemed strange to him, this school was a lot more open about it's after school clubs, especially knowing what they were researching. Izaya didn't know why, maybe it was just more encouraging to their students? As if they thought that whatever they were up to, would take them far in their future. The head seemed optimistic, willing to donate some desks and office equipment that wasn't being used. He had even given them a second model computer from the old faculty lounge. Izaya wondered if the head was just trying to keep his students out of trouble, Izaya's little stunt on the roof had certainly gone around the school rather quickly, it wasn't his intention to get a reputation as such, but he didn't really care either way.

With Kadota around them now, the bullies seemed to pick on Shinra even less then before. Seemed their new friend had a bit of a protective streak, Izaya was grateful, that someone else, other then him, was looking out for Shinra.

Shinra panted as he walked through the door, holding two chairs. "I- I thought…you…helping" he breathed out as he set the two chairs down beside the desk.

Izaya looked at him with amusement "I am"

Shinra pouted "I meant physically"

"You and Dotachin are doing a fine job on your own, I'm the better organizer, the better brains," Kadota grunted as carried the other desk into the room just as Izaya was finishing his sentence. "Isn't that what you wanted to pump me for?"

Kadota almost dropped the table, he set it down with a thud and choked. "What?!"

Shinra glared at Izaya who just laughed at his discomfort. "You're so cruel!" he whined

Kadota simply stared at the two, waiting for an explanation. Izaya looked over at him and waved his hand dismissively. "Relax Dotachin. It's not what you think. I was just joking, simply saying that I'm the brains, while you're the muscle"

Kadota merely shrugged "If you say so"

Shinra pouted again "Hey. So what does that make me then?"

Izaya shrugged and then grinned as he pushed the table against the other, creating an L shape. "Bait, I guess"

"Bait?! For what?"

"Ghosts? Just encase we need a decoy or something"

Shinra whined and stomped his foot "That's horrible!"

Kadota laughed "He's kidding. Come on, we all know you got the brains too"

Izaya chuckled as he led Shinra out of the room "Come on, I'll help bring the other chairs up" he said and then called over his shoulder. "Dotachin~ can you bring up the computer equipment!"

Kadota snorted. Izaya knew very well that the computer boxes were heavier. "God damn it, what a pain he is"

Friday, 9pm, abandoned building

All three newfound friends were to meet at the old building at exactly 9:30. Izaya leaned against the fence, checking his phone, it had full battery and his backpack contained any essentials he might need. He looked at the building, wandering how they were going to get in there. He had brought wire cutters with him, but began second guessing that idea, he didn't want to get in trouble for trespassing. But the building was blocked off for a reason, and Izaya wanted to find out why. "I'm early. I wander if I should get a head start?" he said to himself as he eyed the fence, trying to decide if he could scale it. He shrugged and took a few steps back, then lunged himself up the fence, clinging onto the wires and pulling himself up. He may be small, but he was a good climber. He pulled himself over the top, grateful for no sharp wires sticking out. He chucked his bag down first and then made a graceful landing as he jumped from the fence.

Izaya picked up his pack and fished out his torch; zipping up the bag, he slung it back over his shoulder. He took a breath and began to walk the distance to the building. He flicked the torch on the moment he stepped up to the door. He cringed as the wood beneath his feet creaked and he'd be willing to bet the whole building was like this. They'd been able to research the building to a certain point. It was at least seventy years old and was built with nothing but wood and nails, not exactly the sturdiest of buildings, even a short span of seven decades wouldn't take long for it to begin rotting away. Given the change of seasons over time, Izaya was amazed it was still here. They couldn't get a floor plan, so they would just have to search blindly. Izaya didn't mind, it was the whole point of coming here after all, to figure out what used to be here.

He found it rather sceptical though, since they only managed to find half explanations as to what this place really was. It seemed as though nobody really knew, the articles they'd found each suggested a different purpose. Izaya got the feeling, that those who made up sketchy comments, didn't want to talk about it. He pulled his phone out, sending a quick text to Shinra and then placed it back in his jacket.

Izaya placed the lit torch in his mouth to free up his hands, he pushed against the wooden door, placing all of his weight against it. It creaked open as he had suspected, and he pushed until the door was fully open. He shone the torch around as he made the first steps inside. The entrance itself was bare, nothing but an old dusty rug lay in the middle, in fact, there was dust everywhere, and a lot of cobwebs. _To be expected _Izaya thought nonchalantly.

Shinra smiled as he ran to meet Kadota at the fence, dead on 9:30. "Hey" Kadota greeted first. "I just got here, no need to rush. Still waiting on Izaya"

Shinra smiled nervously "Yeah. About that. He's already inside"

Kadota's eyes widened a fraction "Seriously?! This a habit of his? Just goes on in alone like that?"

Shinra laughed "I don't know about that. But he's definitely not the type to scare easily"

Kadota sighed "God damn it" he then looked up at the fence. "He probably scaled it. I don't see any self-made holes anywhere"

Shinra pouted "I was afraid you'd say that. Gym was never my strong suit, and just so you know, it still isn't"

Kadota chuckled and shuffled his bag on both shoulders as he jumped up at the fence, getting a good first grip. "Come on. I'll help you"

Shinra looked up at the fence again, between Izaya and Kadota, the two of them were bound to get him into trouble at points in their friendship. Snapping out of his thoughts, he realized Kadota was already halfway up, waiting for him, reaching his hand down. Shinra took a deep breath and then jumped as high as he could. He managed to climb toward Kadota only to begin slipping, but Kadota grabbed his hand before he could fall and together they made their way to the top. Shinra panted, he was so not made for this, he wasn't exaggerating when he said gym wasn't his strong suit. He watched then, as Kadota jumped off and landed with a slight stumble, looking up at him, telling him that it was his turn. _He just made it look so easy _

"Your turn" Shinra whined and then closed his eyes, letting go and landed on his feet, only to stumble forward rather pathetically until he landed on his face. Kadota snorted, trying hard not to laugh. "You ok?"

Shinra lifted his head, wiping off the dirt from his face and groaning as he stood up. He then sighed and said "Let's go see where Izaya is. Make sure he's not getting into trouble somewhere"

Kadota looked at the building "You really think we'll find anything?"

Shinra shrugged "Probably not. But the information we gathered about the place sure seemed fishy"

Kadota nodded "You're right about that"

The two made their way to the entrance, each retrieving their torches.

Izaya was already making his way through the first floor of the building, he had found several rooms, all set up exactly the same, as far as he could tell. He found no pictures on the walls or anything that suggested the rooms had even been occupied. The beds in the rooms he'd searched were made, and but a single two chest draw lay next to it.

He reached the end of the hallway and found the first staircase, as he stepped up he suddenly felt something harshly brush by him. Startled, he dropped the torch, his breathing becoming heavy for a moment. He gripped the banister to calm himself. When the panic past, he picked up his torch, noticing that it had clicked off. He clicked it again, but nothing happened. "Shit" not willing to go back and just wait for the others, he placed his hand back on the banister and used the wall to feel his way up the stairs. It probably would have been a lot easier to have done this during the day. He reached the top of the stairs, and again, he was met with a long corridor. "How many rooms does this place have?"

"Izaya! Are you here!?" Shinra.

_Took them long enough _Izaya thought, he looked down to see Shinra and Kadota at the bottom of the stairs. "I'm up here" he told them.

"Just what were you thinking? Going off alone" Kadota said as they ascended the stairs.

Izaya grinned "I got here early. Don't worry, nothing happened"

Shinra shook his head "And what if it did?"

"Then I suppose you'd have to come help me"

Kadota rolled his eyes "You could worry a little you know"

Izaya chuckled and carried on in the direction he had been about to head in.

"Did you see all the rooms downstairs?" Izaya asked after a few seconds.

"Yeah" Kadota was the first to reply "Kind of weird. Like they hadn't even been used"

"My thoughts exactly"

Shinra nodded and they decided to split up and search the second-floor rooms, since there were so many.

Izaya took the first four on the left, Kadota the first four on the right, and Shinra took the four further down, two left on each side.

After the last room was searched, Izaya came out and met Kadota back in the hallway. Izaya handed Kadota an old book that he'd found in one of the rooms. "What is it?" Kadota asked, flipping the first page. "Some kind of passage?" at least, that's what it seemed at first glance.

"I thought it was a rule book. I'm starting to think this place might have been some kind of boarding school"

"Really? What makes you say that? I mean, you're right about this book, from what I can make from it, there's a lot of rules in here"

"I found one in every room I searched"

Kadota tilted his head "Really? I didn't find anything like this"

Izaya checked one of the rooms Kadota had searched and noticed the difference. "Perhaps this side was for the teachers, and the other the students?"

"Maybe, would explain the rule book only being in the rooms you searched" Kadota flicked the pages of the book and stopped when he found something. "Hey, there's a name here" he said as he showed it to Izaya.

Izaya looked at it "Harima, Mika" they then searched the other rooms again, looking inside the books. They both came out again. "I also got Kamichika, Rio and Mikajima, Saki" he informed him

"I also found Niekawa, Haruna"

Izaya touched his finger and thumb to his chin in thought "All girl names"

Kadota nodded "Yeah. Maybe an all girl's school?"

Izaya looked up at him "Possibly"

All of a sudden, they heard a loud scream, they looked at one another, coming to the same conclusion. "Shinra!"

Izaya and Kadota ran down the last stretch of corridor, just as they were about to enter the room to which they believed Shinra was in, Izaya tripped. Kadota halted and knelt down. "Izaya! Are you ok?"

Izaya's eyes widened as he looked down, but he couldn't see anything. "S-Something is grabbing me; it's got my ankle"

"What? I can't see anything, are you sure?"

Izaya nodded, trying to yank his leg back. "Something has hold of me!" he shouted in panic. Kadota grabbed Izaya from under his arms and pulled, he felt the tug and gasped in surprise.

"Shit" he pulled Izaya toward him, but whatever had hold of his ankle wasn't willing to let go. It was then they heard the scream again. "Dammit!"

Izaya pushed at Kadota's leg "Get Shinra!"

"What?! I gotta help you first"

"Who knows what's happening to him! Get Shinra first!"

Kadota clenched his fists, not overly happy with the decision, but he relented; Izaya was probably right, Shinra could be in worse danger. He ran into the room and froze. Shinra was against the wall, trying to fend off some kind of invisible source. He was clawing at his neck, as if whatever it was, was trying to strangle him. "Shinra!" Kadota grabbed hold of Shinra and the speckled man coughed as he in took air. "Are you all right!? What happened!?" Kadota tried desperately to search the room, but he couldn't see anything. "This isn't good. We should get out of here"

Shinra rubbed his neck "But we're no closer to finding anything about this place. Something definitely grabbed me, I was so scared…"

"You're safe now. Izaya thinks its- oh shit! Izaya!" Kadota then ran out of the room, leaving Shinra to blink in confusion after him.

_Izaya gritted his teeth as he held onto one of the door frames, whatever it was, it was determined. He then looked back at his ankle, that's when he saw it, the spirit from the window. he yelped as his fingers slipped from the frame and he was dragged across the floor. He tried to grab another door frame, but the grip tightened, and he slid across the last stretch of hallway, his eyes locked onto the door in front of him across the landing. The spirit had no intention of stopping and Izaya covered himself as he was forced through the door. "Agh!"_

Kadota shouted in dismay. "Shit!"

Shinra came out of the room, hearing Kadota's panicked voice. "What? What's wrong?"

"He's gone" Kadota gritted out

"Don't worry, he's probably gone to another part of the house already"

"No! when we heard you scream we both ran to get you. but Izaya tripped, it seemed like something was pulling on his ankle. He told me to get you first"

Shinra's panic soon set in, "But then- if he's not here…then-"

"Something dragged him off"

"We have to find him! He could be hurt or trapped or-" Shinra began to hyperventilate, Kadota grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"Shinra! Calm down, we'll find him!"

Shinra tried to get his breathing under control "But-"

"We'll find him…" Kadota repeated more calmly, he was worried too, but seeing as Shinra was already losing it, someone had to be the collected one. "Where's your torch?"

Shinra sighed "I dropped it; I think it's broken"

"Stay close to me" Kadota said as he clicked his torch back on and made their way to the end of the corridor, he froze then "Shinra…." He called in a whisper. "The door…"

Shinra poked his head around him "Its been busted through, almost as if…"

Kadota frowned "Yeah. Izaya was probably dragged through there"

_Izaya groaned as he sat up, his back was feeling some bruising. He looked around, he could barely see anything and then he remembered that his torch wasn't working, he fished out his matches that he'd used to search the rooms with. He stood up and hissed as he fell backwards against the wall. He glanced down and struck a match, letting the light near his foot, he lifted up his trouser leg and sure enough, there was a lot of swelling. Fear crept up his spine, the swelling didn't bother him, but something else entirely. There was a handprint, an angry red handprint. He yelped when the match burnt down to his fingers as he hadn't been paying attention to it. He jumped when a sudden loud banging noise sounded around the walls. _

"Did you hear that?" Kadota asked

Shinra gulped "Very much so"

"Izaya!" Kadota ran across the landing, he threw open the door and almost sighed in relief. Izaya looked over, seeing his two friends by the door, grateful to see Shinra was ok too. "Are you hurt?"

"My ankle. I can't move it, but I'm ok" Kadota and Shinra made their way into the room, with the light of Kadota's torch, Izaya could see better. "It looks like a-" the two turn to him, wandering why he stopped.

"Izaya?" Shinra called, Izaya was looking up, they followed his line of vision and saw a rope, tied into a noose. "Oh…"

Kadota stepped closer to it, "Don't think this needs to be voiced, we all know what happened here" he said solemnly

Izaya flinched when he spotted the spirit at the back of the room, he tried to remain calm, he then noticed a darker patch on the spirit, a ring around her neck. Izaya looked at the rope and then back at her.

"Hey, Izaya," Kadota called "you ok? what are you looking at?" Izaya was about to reply when the loud banging sounded again, rattling the walls. They all jumped, Shinra latched onto Kadota's arm since he was the closest to him, to which the man didn't blame him. Izaya's eyes were glued to the back of the room, where the spirit-that only he could see-was still present. It seemed to lock eyes with him, and Izaya felt as though it were looking straight into the depths of his soul. Suddenly, the temperature in the room grew cold. "Let's get out of here, it's getting dangerous, I feel like I'm about to get frost bite or something"

Izaya pushed off the wall and limped across the room, toward where the spirit was, it pointed at the wall. Shinra watched Izaya carefully, it was as if he was looking at someone, but there was nothing there. "Izaya….let's get out of here, ok? come on, you're hurt" Shinra told him.

"Not yet. I think there's something-" all of a sudden, the floor creaked loudly, there was an echoing splitting sound. Izaya froze, looking down at the floor. He swallowed back the fear, but his heart was hammering against his chest. "D-Dotachin…."

"Shit, Izaya…don't move, ok? I'm coming to you…"

"Izaya!" Shinra called in panic

Kadota screamed behind him "Shinra! Stay back!"

Shinra backed up, staring at them with worry.

Izaya glanced at the spirit, he could have sworn it was trying to tell him something. The floor cracked around him slowly, he didn't dare move, he turned his head slightly without moving his body. "Dotachin….help"

"I'm here. it's ok. When I say so, I want you to reach out and grab my hand ok? I'll pull you back"

"I'm gonna fall…."

"No, you're not. I'll grab you; I won't let you drop"

Shinra wanted to call out to them, tell them to hurry up, but he could see the fear radiating from his friend's body. "Izaya…." Shinra whispered, why couldn't he be more fearless? Why couldn't he be there, be there for his friend when he needed him the most.

The floor suddenly gave way and Kadota lunged forward just as Izaya turned around and reached out his hand. "Izaya!" Kadota grabbed his wrist tightly and pulled him back just as the floor collapsed. He then shouted for Shinra to run, coaxing Izaya to climb on his back. Kadota ran with him and they made a dash down the stairs, they heard the rest of the floor collapse behind them from the room. Shinra was the first outside, followed soon after by Kadota, with Izaya clutching onto him. The two panted. "What the hell was that?"

Shinra shook his head "I don't know. It's a sure sign of paranormal activity. Creaking floors, banging…"

"I wasn't talking to you" Shinra blinked up at him

"Oh"

Kadota felt Izaya tense "Hey. What was that about? Why didn't you listen to me? What were you doing? You almost got yourself killed!"

Izaya pushed against him "Let me down" he said, trying to hide how shaken he was

Kadota sighed and gently knelt down, easing Izaya off to sit on the wooden step. "So? What happened back there?" Izaya remained quiet, wrapping his arms around his knees, ignoring the ache in his ankle. "Answer me! Izaya! What did you think you were doing? You're lucky I caught you!"

Shinra frowned and stepped between them "Hey. Lay off will you?"

Kadota glared at him and turned away from them, he then sighed, trying to calm down. After all, Izaya wasn't to know that the floor was going to collapse, was he? And right now, he was probably in shock. "Sorry…. I get protective about my friends"

Shinra then smiled "It's ok, we're lucky you were there" he then turned and knelt beside Izaya, he didn't say anything, but he motioned for his ankle. "Can I take a look? I brought bandages" Izaya merely nodded and leant back on his palms, holding his ankle out. He hissed when Shinra took his shoe off and then his sock. "I don't think it's broken, but it's definitely sprained"

Kadota turned around "How'd you know?"

Shinra laughed lightly "Well. My dad is a doctor. He wants me to follow him someday, but, my interests lie elsewhere. I feel like this is my calling, the paranormal world is too fascinating"

Izaya chuckled then, as if coming out of his shock. "Screaming like a girl notwithstanding?"

Shinra pouted "I screamed a manly scream!"

Kadota joined in the laughter and then sat beside the raven as Shinra began to bandage his ankle. "Sorry for the outburst" he said, admitting with slight embarrassment

Izaya shrugged "Ne. You're protective, you look out for people, not a bad trait to have, I guess"

"Think so?"

Shinra nodded with a smile, setting Izaya's foot down gently. "Absolutely. I mean, who knows what would have happened in there. See Izaya, I told you we needed him"

Izaya smacked him upside the head "Shut up"

Shinra rubbed his head, poking his tongue out. Kadota brought out his phone. "It'll be light soon. We better head home" Kadota stood up, he then looked down at Izaya. "You gonna be ok getting back?" Izaya nodded and Kadota helped him to his feet. They walk toward the fence as the sky was slowly getting light, Izaya looked up hesitantly toward the top, Kadota nudged him with a small grin. "You know, it's not a bad thing to ask for help, you're gonna have a bit of trouble walking around for a while as it is, I doubt you're feeling up to the climb, am I right?"

Izaya avoided his gaze, but he sighed "I'm pretty beat" he admitted

"I'm not surprised!" Shinra exclaimed "You were dragged through a door for crying out loud! And you nearly collapsed with the floor! Of course I was almost strangled to death, but I guess you did get worse off"

Izaya scowled in annoyance "Was there a point to that?"

"No. I guess not" Shinra grinned at him and Izaya rolled his eyes.

Kadota knelt down a little "Get on"

Izaya lowered his head, clearly embarrassed, but reached an arm around Kadota's neck and the other lifted him with ease onto his back. Kadota began the climb, being more careful then before, he soon swung over the other side and climbed down, he lowered Izaya to the ground and started back up. "Better help the idiot over, don't wanna have him sprain an ankle too, we'll never hear the end of it then"

Izaya nodded with a chuckle

"Hey!" Whined Shinra "I heard that!"

After helping Shinra down, the three friends look toward the building. "That was intense. I've never experienced anything like that before" Kadota said seriously

"I'd be lying if I said I had" Izaya replied with a frown _I'm not giving up yet, something happened in that building that no one was meant to know, I'm going to found out what that is_


	4. Project 1 part 2

Izaya sat up groggily, a hand to his forehead, he was still so damn tired. He frowned when he realised his room was still dark.He shuffled up on his knees- but not before glancing at the bedside clock-3.00am. _ I could have sworn it was later than this_ His window was situated above his bed, so he glanced through it as he peeled back the curtain- a hand slammed on the window and he jumped with a yelp. Was that- his heart thudded against his chest, there was no mistaking that noticeable ring around the neck. It was the spirit from the building. He shivered as he leaned back on the bed and then shuffled forward, his hand shaking immensely as he peeled back the curtain once more. It wasn't there. _I'm just tired _he thought, he shook his head and then he heard a small crack, his eyes widened. He glanced at the window carefully and sure enough, a small line dented the glass. His hands tightened into fists, shaking. Suddenly, he felt a chill run up his spine, the air around him seemed to drop in temperature. His whole body was shaking now, as he slowly turned from the window, only to stare into the soulless eyes of the spirit.

Izaya shot up on the bed, his breathing heavy and his mind fuzzy. He took a few ragged breaths before settling back against his pillow. _Just a dream, it was just a dream, they can't get you… _he took a glance at the clock and gasped quietly. 3.00am. "The hell-?" he voiced aloud, and then- suddenly, something wrapped around his ankle, his injured one. Izaya suppressed a pained groan and quickly threw back the covers, the spirit….Izaya's eyes widened and he frantically tried to tug himself away. "Get off!" he yelled loudly and then cried out when he was dragged to the end of the bed. "No!" he couldn't stop it; he couldn't get free. "I don't want to go in there!" he didn't know where that spirit was taking him, he just knew it was bad. Whatever was behind that door….. he wasn't going to come back out again. "Leave me alone!"

And then….

Thud!

"Ah!"

Someone soon came rushing into his room. "Izaya! Izaya, what's wrong? Are you ok?" Izaya blinked up, he could barely breath he was panicking so much.

After a few minutes, his breathing evened out and he registered the hand that was rubbing up and down his arm and the other, that was sifting through his hair. "Mother?"

She smiled at him and seized her comforts. She knew her son well. He would be fully embarrassed soon enough, so she sat back, giving him space. "Ok?"

Izaya could only nod, but he was still shaking. "What happened?"

She blinked and then replied "You tell me. Sweetheart, why are you down here on the floor?"

Izaya gave her a confused expression "The floor?"

"You're on the floor honey, at the end of your bed- are you sure you're ok?"

Izaya swallowed and then nodded again, swiping a shaky hand through his sweat soaked hair, in fact, his whole body was drenched, no wonder he was shivering so much. "I-"

She smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder "It's ok. bad dream. But it's over now"

_Bad dream? _Izaya then recalled that bad dream, twice! Like he had a lot of trouble waking up. He looked at his mother, suddenly becoming slightly embarrassed, he huffed a laugh. "Bad dream. I guess" he hid his face behind his hands, god he felt so pathetic, he was fifteen for crying out loud! "What time is it?" he was almost scared to ask.

"It just turned one in the afternoon sleepy head. I was actually coming to wake you, you're usually an early riser"

Izaya snapped his head up, that late? He then stood "Why didn't you? aren't you mad that I missed my classes?"

His mother gave him a look of concern and she stood up to check his head. "Are you sure you're ok?" he didn't have a temperature; he was just a little cold from the terror sweat.

"Yeah. I'm ok. why do you look so worried?"

She blinked at him and then smiled a little, leaning down to meet his eyes. "Izaya. It's Saturday"

Izaya then remembered. Right. It was, wasn't it? they had gone to that building just last night- that building! And then he breathed deeply, recalling the spirit from his dreams. Was that a dream too? Had those events really happened? _Probably not…._

"Oh my god! What happened to your ankle?"

Izaya was surprised by her outburst _Ankle? _An image flashed through his mind, the spirit dragging him off the bed- wait, except….no, not his bed. It was that building, wasn't it? he had been dragged through that corridor on the second floor….. he knew, he knew it was real, that it had happened. Shinra and Kadota were there, he hadn't been alone- and yet, a part of him wished it hadn't happened at all. It was his idea, to research that building, to explore it, he could only blame himself. He looked down; his worried mother was kneeling down to inspect his bandaged foot. Realising he'd yet to answer her, he chuckled lightly, hoping the fear was out of his voice by now. "Sorry. I was- Shinra and I were messing around, I fell out of a tree in his yard-" His parents had met Shinra, so it wasn't as if his mother would be surprised to hear that name come out of his mouth, they seemed happy that he had friends-finally. "It's just a sprain, nothing serious. My fault. I was just teasing him about something, I lost my balance, that's all" if he said it casually enough, his mother wouldn't worry so much. He was right.

She smiled and stood up "Just be careful ok?" she then walked back toward the door. "I have to get to work now. Your father already left, Mairu and Kururi are at a sleepover, so don't worry about them"

Izaya tilted his head, it wasn't the fact his sisters were at a sleepover that confused him-he knew they were so much better at making friends than he was- just- "You don't work on Saturday's" he said a-matter of fact.

His mother nodded and sighed with a shrug, then she smiled. "I know. but they're short staffed, we're two down today" it wasn't uncommon really, his mother had a large managerial role as a freight forwarder, so she often worked late or the occasional weekend. His father worked for a large CEO company, he was their security analyst, he had a degree in computer science and a certification in CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) often both parents worked late, so sometimes he'd have to be home for the twins. He didn't mind, since they were close to one another anyway. As it were though, they were sleeping over at a friend's, to which he was grateful regardless. "All right" he finally said, and she smiled, then nodded toward his ankle.

"Take it easy on that today" Izaya gave her a tight-knit smile. Which meant he probably wouldn't, and if she didn't buy it, she didn't say anything. Afterall, it wasn't as though he promised, or even simply told her that he would. "I'll see you tomorrow"

Izaya nodded and then watched her walk out of the room, he heard her retreat downstairs and waited for the door to open and shut before he began to get ready.

Izaya sat at his computer desk, switching his laptop on and began another search on the building. Now that he had a few extra details to which he could pursue, he might be able to find out more information. Something nagged at the back of his mind. While the inside appearance did suggest that the building was likely an all-girls boarding school, he had a sneaking suspicion that it might have been a rouse. That something else had happened in that building, that no one was suppose to find out. But what had made it all stop? Why had they abandoned it all if no one found out?

He kept replaying his dreams, over and over in his head. There was truth to them, he was sure of it, like he was being subconsciously led somewhere. He swirled around in his chair, glancing at the mirror that was connected to his closet. In his dream, that had been a door right? It made sense, considering what happened last night. _"I don't want to go in there!" _that wasn't how he'd reacted when he was dragged through the corridor. This was different, this was an entirely different scene, almost as if- "I was reliving someone else's memories…" he said quietly to himself. He shook his head. No. that was ridiculous. He was just overthinking it; it just wasn't possible. He'd read somewhere though, back when he was researching all he could on paranormal and spirits. About those that were capable of seeing spirits, about psychics, some may even experience lucid dreams. Not the average dreaming an ordinary human might experience. This was different. "What was it called…." He muttered as he turned back and typed a description of what he believed he'd experienced during the dream. His eyes became wide. "Post cognitive dreams" he read aloud, and it certainly made sense, at least, to what he could remember. No way was that dream just the events playing over from last night. Izaya shook his head, this was ridiculous, being able to see spirits was one thing-he'd gotten used to that, he believed that- but this….this was something else entirely, it couldn't be real.

After failing to come up with anything new on the building, he decided to at least write down what he remembered in his dream. Whether he believed what he experienced was real or not, maybe there was a clue. He wrote down what they'd gone through in the building and compared it to what happened in his dream. There were parts that were similar, but some were different too. His reactions for one thing, in the building-sure he was scared-but he hadn't panicked half as much, had he?

In his dreams, that was different. Like he knew what was going to happen, something bad was behind that door….. not the door he'd been dragged through before, but a different door, a room they'd yet to search. "That door…." he muttered "Before the floor collapsed" he hadn't thought about it much at the time, since he had been terrified to fall. But he did remember that there had been another door in that room. And the spirit….. "She was trying to tell me something, right before the floor cracked. She pointed in that direction, to the door" his dreams hadn't told him what she was trying to say, they were so jumbled. Despite the fact that he may have experienced a memory that wasn't his own, it was the spirit of the girl dragging him, not someone to be terrified of-at least, in the dream. He grabbed his head with both hands in frustration, he was so confused, just when he thought his dreams made sense….. though it did help now that he had a name for it, and a description. She was trying to tell him something at the building, trying to show him something, so maybe. "Maybe she's still trying. In my dream, trying to show me what happened to her" Izaya frowned. He wasn't going to get anywhere by simply sitting in his room replaying his confusing dream, the only way he was going to get any further…. "I have to go back"

…

Izaya stared at the building through the wired fence, he still had plenty of daylight left, so it was going to be a lot easier to search the rooms. He thought about texting his two friends, but he didn't want any interruptions this time, and he also didn't want them in anymore danger-but he wasn't willing to admit that part. Kadota would chew his ear off if he knew what Izaya was doing right now. Kadota was protective, that much was obvious, which is why the raven wasn't going to inform them. At least not until he'd figured it out, by then, it wouldn't matter anyway, he'd take any scolding his friends would give him later.

Izaya began the climb, his ankle wasn't hurting all that much, the swelling had gone down already. He guessed it wasn't as bad as Shinra had originally thought after all. Not willing to risk it though, he climbed down the other side, instead of jumping from the top like he had done last night.

He made his way toward the building, sporting an empty rucksack on both shoulders, encase he found something of interest. He took a deep breath and then entered, he was surprised to find the rest of the building exactly how they'd left it, despite the fact that one of the floors in the room above had collapsed. "This place is more stable then I thought" he said as he immediately walked through the first corridor and headed straight for the stairs. He had good memory, but he still couldn't help but be annoyed that they hadn't been able to find blueprints for the layout of the place. The building was such a mystery, almost like it had been quickly built together by random individuals, rather than professionally.

Izaya ascended the stairs, if it were possible, he felt more on edge then when he'd come here at night. He didn't know whether that was due to his dreams, or the fact that he really was alone this time. Probably both. His friends didn't know he was here, did they? If something really did happen this time….. Izaya shook the thought from his mind. He was confident. If he was careful, and if he observed his surroundings more closely, he'd be fine. Once he reached the top of the stairs, he glanced to his right, the door was open and still broken, exactly how they'd left it. Before he peered through the entrance, he stopped, he then glanced left. He wondered whether he'd missed anything in one of the rooms yesterday….. he'd yet to even search outside, the back of the building.

Izaya turned in the direction of the corridor, then he heard what could only be described as glass cracking. He turned his head, his eyes trailing over the windows as the cracks multiplied, then….. he crouched and covered his head as they shattered inwards. He in took a sharp breath from the shock, lifting his head up, he stood and inspected himself, sighing in relief there were no injuries. Izaya didn't make another attempt to head down the corridor, instead, he turned back to the other room on his right. He began to wonder, why had he only seen the spirit of the one girl? Why hadn't any of the others shown up? Why just this one?

As he was about to head for the entrance once more, he jumped, his phone ringing startled him. He sighed and pulled it from his pocket, it was Shinra. Feeling that if he ignored it, the boy would get more suspicious than if he didn't. he smirked when he clicked the button to connect them, not that Shinra could see it. "What do you want?"

"Mean" Izaya chuckled at how Shinra was probably pouting "How's the ankle?"

"Fine" at least that was true

"That's good. I was phoning because I did a few searches on those names we got from the building" that was right, Shinra said he'd look into that…..it was the reason why Izaya hadn't.

"And?" he asked, almost afraid to

"Well. There wasn't much, it just states that all of them disappeared around seventy years ago and they were never found. A year before they disappeared though, it says that they were attending a boarding school, but it doesn't say which one"

"Why not?" Izaya was getting a bad feeling

"I don't know. according to those questioned-and the parents, their kids were dropped off at a local bus station and that was the last place they knew of"

"So the parents of these girls, never knew the location of the boarding school?"

"No, doesn't sound like it. I mean, obviously the building was the school I suppose, but they didn't know that"

Izaya leaned against the banister "That might explain why we couldn't find anything specific on the place. No one was even aware of the details"

"Guess not. According to the police, back then, one of the parents claimed to have seen an ad for the boarding school, do you think the other parents saw the same thing?"

"Who knows. Maybe. You'd think that the parents of these girls, would want to check the school out for themselves. Even if for whatever reason they had for sending them here, they'd still want to make sure it was a safe place"

"I don't know. do you want to get together at mine to see if we can find anything else? I'll ring Kadota and-"

"No. I'm looking after my sisters today" Izaya grimaced, he felt bad for lying to him.

"Oh. Well, we could come to you?"

Izaya sighed "That's probably not a good idea either. They're young and they're nosy, I'd rather not scare them, they could overhear us"

He could hear the sigh of disappointment on the other end. "All right"

"Sorry. But do me a favour?"

"What is it?"

"See if you can maybe find that ad one of the parents were talking about"

"How come?"

"This was not a boarding school, I want to know what they said to make it so believable, given the unknown location"

"Yeah. you mentioned that before, it does sound really sketchy, like it's probably true. But what does it matter now if it is. Its been a long time, no point in telling anyone, all the parents of the girls are probably dead" Izaya knew that. it wasn't as if he could locate them and explain his theories. But…. If he could just find out what really happened to them, what really went on here….maybe it would put the spirits of these girls to rest. "Izaya?"

"I know. forget about it, it does sound pointless, I guess"

There was silence for a few seconds before Shinra replied "Sounds important to you. So I'll try my best anyway"

Izaya blinked in surprise, Shinra was something else. Izaya smiled. "Thanks"

"I'll send you a link if I find anything, ok?"

"All right. I have to go now; I'll talk to you tomorrow" and they hung up, Izaya sighed, Shinra would have a heart attack if he knew where he was. The boy cared about him, and Izaya had lied to him so easily, Shinra had been a good friend to him thus far. "Sorry…." He muttered to his phone. Placing his cell back in his pocket, he made his way through to the entrance, finally. No more interruptions.

Izaya stepped carefully, he had no idea how far the drop was, he couldn't see anything. Despite only being on the second floor, this room wasn't connected, it was the end of the house, there was no reason to believe anything was below. He glanced to the right and spotted the door from his dream, at least, he guessed it was. Izaya stepped back out of the room for a moment. "Is there an extension?" he said to himself as he made his way down a few steps. He then rapped his knuckles against the wall, the sound almost suggested there was something behind it. "If it's the end of the house….why is it hollow?" Izaya made his way back into the room, there was an edge to which he could sidestep across if he was careful enough. Izaya breathed deeply and shifted his feet, one after the other, slowly as he shimmied across, he kept his eyes forward.

Izaya sighed in relief when he stepped across the corner of the room, feeling safer now; he turned to the door, hand reaching up to tug on the handle. He pushed against it and felt resistance. "Damn it" it was locked. Izaya looked up and scanned around the frame's edges, hoping there was a key hanging up somewhere. No key. "Maybe…" the house was mostly wood wasn't it? so what if- it was old after all…. The only thing that worried him, was that he had no idea what was on the other side. "That's what I'm here for I suppose" he wasn't even sure he was strong enough to break the door in the first place. Izaya took a step back, being careful so as not to step too far, he then lunged at the door. Rubbing his arm, he somewhat pouted at the object. Izaya frowned and then tried again, it rattled but remained shut. He gritted his teeth in annoyance and then kicked it hard out of frustration, pain shot through his foot and he let out a cry of protest as he stumbled backwards. Izaya tried to reach for the edge before he could fall, his fingers brushed against it, but he was inches too far. Izaya fell with a silent scream, eyes screwed shut, and then- he landed with a thud.

Izaya winced and moved into a sitting position, he glanced up, fully surprised, the drop wasn't as far as he had originally thought. "I can see up there. I just couldn't see down here" rubbing his ankle, he checked the rest of his body, once he was satisfied he tried his luck at standing up, placing all his weight on his good foot, he limped forward. At least he hadn't been knocked out by the fall. "I'm just not sure how the hell I'm suppose to get back up there" it didn't matter right now, he started to check his surroundings, it was dark, he could barely see a thing "Why didn't I bring a torch" he muttered, he limped across what felt like hard floor and moved his hands out in front until they touched a wall, at least, he hoped it was a wall. He sighed and then made his way across, he stopped when his hand brushed past something. He felt around with his fingertips, it certainly felt like a light switch. "Would that work now?" there was only one way to find out. He flicked the switch and sure enough, the room filled with light, it wasn't overly bright, but he could see well enough. The walls were plain and the floor tiled, completely different to the décor above. "It really is a rouse" Izaya scanned the large room, and then his eyes fell upon a wooden box- a shiver ran up his spine, they were big enough to fit a human inside, almost as if they were coffins.

Izaya found a large metal table at the back of the room, there were four straps attached in each corner. "What did they do here?" he almost wished he hadn't come back, he started to get anxious. There was a round table off to the right, it was shrouded in old papers, Izaya picked one up carefully, too hard to make out what was even written on it. There was an old filing cabinet against the wall, he sighed, despite getting a horrible feeling, he hoped he might finally find some answers. It took a few attempts to pry one of the draws open, he flinched when the rustic metal screeched. He sifted through the papers, there were files, that much he could tell. Izaya pulled them all out and set them on the table. He opened the first folder and gasped. Since they'd been protected by the cabinet, he could make out what was there. His eyes scanned the papers one by one, there were pictures too, they were of the girls. "Mika Harima, age fifteen. Saki Mikajima, age fourteen. Haruna Niekawa, age sixteen. Rio Kamichika, age fifteen" they were all here. he scanned their files more closely. "Mika Harima. First experiment, tasked with sleep deprivation, three days, subject survived. Haruna Niekawa. First experiment, tasked with the hunger strike, five days, subject survived. Saki Mikajima. First experiment, tasked with acceptable pain medication, two days, subject survived. Rio Kamichika. First experiment, tasked with psychological tests" with every word he read, Izaya could feel his stomach churn. These girls, they were test subjects, and there didn't appear to be any reasonable explanation. Was it for the war? Some beneficial experiments for their government. It didn't seem that way to him, this place had nothing to do with any history of war. This was for personal gain, plain and simple, Izaya was sure of it. He searched through the files, each one, the experiments simply got worse. Torture methods, drugs…. It just never stopped. "Why?" Izaya's hands were shaking by the time he got through the files. There, on the last page, the explanation he'd been looking for.

"Saki, water test, deceased. Mika-" Izaya almost threw up, he gripped the edge of the table. "Disfigurement test, deceased" he remembered the spirit, that ring around her neck….she wasn't the one that killed herself. "Fuck…" he wanted to get the hell out of here, but- he couldn't make his legs move. "Rio, test not performed, found hung….." the rope in the room above "They didn't….didn't even care…" then there was Haruna. "Sensory deprivation. What the hell does that even mean?"

Suddenly, the lights flickered and then blew with a loud pop. Izaya nearly jumped out of his skin, he was now in darkness. "Shit…" he needed to get out, he was starting to panic, he snapped his head up when light cast across the back wall, followed by fuzzing sound. His eyes widened. It was a projector. He limped forward, eyes glued to the wall, his whole body shook, he watched in horror as a clip played before him.

There were two men, both in lab coats, and Izaya could see a girl, long black hair, strapped to the table. He glanced over, the same table that was beside him. As he looked back to the projection, he could see she was blindfolded and as he looked more closely, her ears appeared to be covered. Izaya came to realise that this was what they meant by sensory deprivation, and he suspected that her sight and hearing wasn't all they took. After what must have been hours of torture for the poor girl, Izaya watched as the two men dragged her toward- and he gasped, turning around he glanced at the box in the room. "No way…." He limped toward the box, his hand hovered over the lid, he couldn't….. glancing back to the projection, he saw the struggle take place, the girl- she was fighting them off, or trying to.

One of the two men soon hit her with something long and she fell, her eyes wide and lifeless, staring into the direction of the lens. Izaya shivered. He stumbled back until the backs of his legs touched the box and he forced himself to sit down. "I'm sorry" he said quietly, his hands threading through his hair. "I'm sorry this happened to you" he glanced up and froze, there was someone watching him, but it wasn't the same spirit, this one…. "Where are you?" he asked, his voice cracking. He stood back up on shaky legs, the projection had finished but it was still producing light. The girl stared at him for a moment, her transparent arm rose, and she pointed across the room. He followed her direction and it led him to another door, he placed his hand on the handle-

Thwack!

Something hit him, something hard.

Izaya fell with a thud to the floor, a pained groan escaped his lips before darkness completely overtook him.

An echoing laugh sounded throughout the room, but no one would be able to hear it.


	5. Project 1 part 3

Shinra tapped his fingers against the desk in his room, waiting for someone on the other end of the phone to answer. He lifted the sheet of paper and glanced over at the printed words. Nothing about this ad he found made much sense, but Izaya had asked him to find anything he could, and he was very proud of his achievement, if a little shocked. The building was old, which meant the events were old-that it happened even before his own father was born. he didn't have any grandparent's that he could talk to, it was only him and his Dad, and even if he did, with a building that no one had any reason to investigate, they most likely wouldn't be able to tell him anything.

The phone clicked off, Shinra frowned, well, Izaya had said that he was looking after his sisters. Shinra tried again, the ad seemed pretty important to Izaya, so you'd think he'd at least answer his damn phone for five minutes!

Izaya groaned, stirring awake from a faint ringing sound, it sounded so far away. The annoying tone stopped, but the ringing in his own ears however, didn't. what the hell had happened? He remembered seeing the ghost of that girl again, remembered himself asking her a question. _Where are you? _Izaya's eyes widened. Then he recalled her response, she didn't say anything, but she had evidently told him-told him what exactly? What was in that room? Was that- was that where she- Izaya winced, why did his head hurt so much? He gasped then, something had hit him, something attacked him, and it seemed a lot darker than he remembered. "Am I in that room?" he whispered, he didn't want to panic, but he felt fear creep up his spine, and he couldn't help but feel restricted. Wherever he was, it was extremely stuffy, he supposed the room might not have been that big. He moved to sit up, only to yelp immediately when his head collided with something solid. "Wha-" he reached up with his hand, but his knuckles grazed hard surface.

Now he was panicking. His hands shook as he slowly placed both hands in front of him, solid met his palms, he moved his hands beside him, reaching out, but the same thing happened. His suspicions of being trapped had just been confirmed. "Where…?" and then he knew. "No…." he was in that coffin! It was the only explanation.

Without wasting a second, he began banging his hands against the hard wood, palms, fists and then he started to kick at the edges. Nothing budged the lid, nor did the wood around him splinter. Panic set in full force, and he hit out harder, he soon began yelling out. "Please! Let me go! Let me out of here!" he pounded his fists as hard as he could against the wooden lid. "Get me out! Somebody! Help me!" his heart hammered in his chest, then he heard it, that annoying tone from before. His phone! But- it still sounded far away…. "Shit…" he'd left it on the desk, when he found the projector. He planned on taking pictures of the files…. But if his phone was unreachable, how was anyone suppose to know where he was? He hadn't even told Shinra, or Kadota for that matter, they didn't even know he was here! he tried to kick out again, shimming down slightly to kick harshly at the bottom. Why wasn't it budging? "Let me go! Please! Let me out! I don't…" Izaya choked back a sob, realization that he might not escape, that he'd remain here, slowly suffocating, and never be found. "I don't want to die…."

Shinra sighed with irritation, he'd been trying to reach Izaya for almost three hours now. It was so unlike him, to not answer his phone, even if he was looking after his sisters. Shinra frowned, something wasn't right, he didn't know why, but something felt off. Shinra quickly called Kadota and sighed in relief that it didn't take _him _long to answer. "Oh good, you answered!"

Kadota blinked in confusion "Yeah? what's with you? you sound freaked"

"Er. Well, Izaya asked me to see if I could find that ad for the boarding school, he's been researching more into the building"

"Yeah me too. I didn't find much, nothing came up, it's strange"

"Well, I did find the ad"

"Really? How? I mean, that's great but-"

"I know, thanks. Thing is, when I called Izaya to tell him, he's not answering his phone"

"Maybe he's busy, he'll get in touch soon, no need to worry"

Shinra shook his head, not that his friend could see that. "He said he was looking after his sisters"

He heard Kadota sigh, the teen was probably thinking how dramatic he was being. "He's busy then. He'll call when he can, I'm sure"

"Yeah…It's just that- when he asked about the ad, sounded important to him, I figured he'd answer right away, or at least return my calls!"

Kadota thought for a moment, Izaya had been rather intrigued by the building, and if he was still researching at home, it meant he hadn't left the matter alone. "Look. He's probably engrossed in his search, have you tried his home number?"

Shinra pouted and then groaned in dismay "He never gave it to me. Said it wasn't necessary, because he always answers his cell!"

Kadota had to laugh a little, Izaya probably didn't want Shinra bugging him so much. "Can't you get it from the school's student files? You are the class rep"

Shinra smiled "That's right! Ok. I'll look it up, and get back to you when I finally talk to him"

Kadota shook his head, it was kind of sweet in a way, how Shinra worried for his friend's safety. "All right"

The two hung up and Shinra pulled up the school's site and logged in with his personal password. It didn't take him long to find the right number, feeling a little relieved he then keyed in the number on his phone and waited for someone to pick up. Someone did answer, but it definitely wasn't Izaya. "Oh….hello, Mrs Orihara… it's Shinra"

"Hello! How are you?"

Shinra raised an eyebrow "Fine. Erm, is Izaya there?"

"No. I thought he was with you. I got called into work today, my daughters are at a sleepover, so when I came home and he wasn't here, I figured he arranged to hang out with you"

Shinra nearly dropped the phone, a chill suddenly ran up his spine. If Izaya wasn't home, then where the hell was he? He soon realised that his silence might start worrying the woman, he laughed nervously. "Oh, that's right. H-he must have left already then- he text me half hour ago, cause he was bored, I said it would be ok for him to stay over. I hope that's ok?"

Kyouko sighed and huffed a laugh "Well. you don't have school at least. I just wish he'd left a note"

That little statement seemed to worry him more, so wherever Izaya had gone, not even anyone at home knew where. Shinra swallowed the lump of fear and laughed "Yeah. he's pretty forgetful like that sometimes"

"Be sure to give him a scolding on my behalf" Kyouko joked

"I will"

The two hung up and Shinra's hands shook, he almost didn't want to call Kadota back. The boy took a deep breath and then called the recent number and waited. "Yo. Let me guess, he yelled at you?"

Shinra only wished he had. "No. I didn't talk to him"

"What do you mean? he hung up on you or something?"

"No. he wasn't home. I talked to his mother. She said that he wasn't home when she got back from work. Apparently she got called in"

"If he wasn't home, does that mean he left his sisters by themselves?"

Shinra rolled his eyes, Izaya wasn't _that _irresponsible. "No. that was a lie. Apparently they're at a sleepover, so when his Mom got home, she naturally assumed he'd arranged to hang out with us"

Kadota suddenly wasn't so calm. He too began to worry. "Ok. what did you tell her?"

"Well. I sort of agreed. That he'd text me half hour ago and was coming to stay over. I didn't want to worry her"

"That's probably a good idea. But, and I really hate to ask, when was the last time you actually spoke to him?"

"Hold on" Shinra tapped the hold button and checked his recent call log, he scrolled down to the most recent connected call to Izaya. He bit his lip and then brought the phone back to his ear. "I just checked. The last time we actually spoke, was over six hours ago"

Kadota clenched a fist "You're kidding. What the hell is he-"

Noting his friend's hesitation Shinra got even more worried. "Kadota?"

"Shinra. You don't think he went back to that building by himself, do you?"

"What!? He wouldn't! no way"

"Shinra, you saw how fascinated he was, you saw him in that room. Izaya saw something there"

"But- he almost, we almost didn't make it out the first time. He wouldn't go back in"

Kadota sighed "You've known him a little longer than me. Maybe I'm wrong. But in the time I've known him, he doesn't just forget about things that easily. You said it yourself, he's been hung up on that building since the first day of high school, right?"

Shinra huffed "You're right. He did ask me about it almost right away"

"Shinra. I really think we need to assume that's where he might be"

"There has to be a signal, because it rang. What if he can't answer!?"

Kadota tightened his grip around his phone, _damn you Izaya. _"Don't panic yet. Meet me there outside, we'll go look for him"

"Ok!"

…..

"It's dark now, good thing I brought a torch" Kadota said as he and Shinra made their way into the building. "I can't believe this place is still standing after last night"

"I know what you mean, you'd think that one room collapsing, would be enough to bring the whole place down" Kadota nodded as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "He could be anywhere"

"He could. But I bet I know where to start"

"But- there's no floor there anymore!"

"It's Izaya. He'll find a way"

Shinra wasted no more time and hurried up the stairs. "Izaya! Are you here!?"

Kadota soon ran up after him. "Yo! Izaya! Can you hear us!" they reached the landing and Kadota grasped Shinra's arm. "Shinra look. The windows…"

Shinra stopped and turned away from the room he was about to head into. "They're shattered"

Kadota clenched his fists "Something definitely isn't right, come on" Shinra followed his friend as they carefully entered the room. "Izaya!" he called out, his voice echoing across the room.

"Kadota look, there's a door over there, I didn't notice that before"

"Probably because we were too busy watching what Izaya was doing"

"You don't think he got across there?"

Kadota seemed to work out the distance and tested the weight with his foot along the edge. "Well. The edge is small, and kind of weak, but someone of Izaya's build, would probably make it across"

Shinra bit his lip, there was no sign of anyone going through the door. "What if he made it to the door, got in, but for some reason it closed on him and he can't get out again?"

Kadota looked at the door "It's possible" the two glance at each other and tried calling out again. "Izaya! It's us! We're here! if you're in there let us know you're ok!"

"We're gonna find a way to help! We're here! give us a sign, something to let us know you're ok!" There was no answer and the two began to grow extremely worried. "Maybe he isn't in there"

"What if- what if he didn't go through the door…"

Shinra stared at him, just what was he trying to say? "What do you mean?"

"What if he tried, but-" Kadota knelt down, leaning over the edge of the hole. "He fell…maybe"

Shinra's eyes widened "Are you serious!?" Shinra knelt down with him "We don't know how far down it goes! If he fell, he might be really hurt"

"Calm down. I was just theorizing. But it's possible, which means we'd need to get down there somehow" Kadota held his hand out. "Get me my torch" Shinra nodded and quickly removed the torch from his bag and handed it to his friend.

Kadota clicked it on, leaning as far over as he could, laying out flat on his stomach for safety. Shinra squinted but he could just make out, the floor maybe? "I can't tell what I'm seeing"

Kadota sat up "I can't see much either, but it doesn't look as far down as we thought" he looked at Shinra, the boy was a worried mess. "You said that his phone rang when you called right?" Shinra glanced up at him and nodded. "Call it again" Kadota sighed "Whatever has happened, we'd be able to hear it if he really is down there. we'd know we're on the right track at least"

Shinra pulled out his and located his friend's number with shaky fingers. They waited. Then a faint sound was heard. "That's his phone!" Shinra panicked. "Izaya! Can you hear me!?"

Kadota shimmied to the edge, his legs dangling over. Shinra turned to him then. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going down there. it doesn't look that far, I think I can make the jump safely, doesn't look much higher than the fence outside"

Shinra followed his moves "I'm coming with you then"

Kadota shook his head "No. you should stay here, go see if you can get some rope or something. Or get some help"

Shinra frantically shook his head "No way. Besides, the stores are probably all closed by now, and if anyone knew we were here, we'd be in big trouble, we might even get done for trespassing"

Kadota rolled his eyes, they didn't have time to argue "Shinra. No one even cared enough to even search this building. I really don't think trespassing is relevant here"

Shinra frowned and it was then Kadota knew he wasn't going to win. "I'm not leaving him. He's my friend"

Kadota smiled and then nodded "All right. Just follow my example ok? push off the edge and bend your knees as soon as you hit the ground"

Shinra nodded, for once, he wasn't acting scared, nor was he whining about possibly getting hurt. Kadota went first like he said, Shinra watched him go, the light of the torch following him. He waited a few seconds. "Kadota! Are you ok?"

Kadota stood up, brushing himself off, he grabbed the torch from the ground and peered up. "Yeah! I'm fine! It's not that bad, come on"

Shinra took a deep breath "Ok…" he breathed out and then pushed off the edge. He bent his knees like Kadota had told him and then stumbled back, falling on his butt. "I'm alive…"

"You ok down there?"

Shinra looked up and gave his friend a small smile, nodding at him. Kadota reached down and pulled him to his feet. It was then they took note of the place they were standing in. "At least he didn't get knocked out by the fall" Shinra pointed out. "That was definitely his phone. So where is he?"

"I don't know" the two began to search around quickly. "Izaya! Are you here!? answer me!"

"That light, is that a projector?" Shinra said, making his way over to the desk, it was then he found Izaya's phone. "I found it" he turned to Kadota, showing him the phone and then froze. "Kadota?" Shinra followed his friend's line of sight. "It- it's a coffin…."

Kadota took a few steps closer "What the hell…is it doing down here?"

"Do you think one of those spirits….one of those girls are- in there?"

Izaya opened his eyes, had he passed out? His throat was tremendously sore from how much he had been yelling. He didn't think he could even utter another syllable. But he was still alive…. His hands felt swollen, they were sore to touch. How long had he been in here? he figured that by passing out, he had savoured the little oxygen-if there had been any to begin with. Izaya weakly dragged his fingers against the wooden lid. He had no fight left in him; his whole body was exhausted. _I'm gonna die _he thought, he bit his lip, tears prickled at his eyelids. He clenched his eyes shut, then he heard a voice. His eyes snapped open. that voice was familiar, muffled by the coffin, but it was familiar.

"Izaya! Where are you!?"

The voice got louder. It was Shinra! No mistaking it!

"Hey. Shinra look, there's a door there, maybe that leads somewhere else-"

No! he had to get their attention. He had no idea what was behind that door, if that really did lead to somewhere else. they'd never find him. Izaya opened his mouth, it was so dry, and in his current state, he didn't think he could shout anything. But he could create noise another way. With a new burst of energy, he started to hit against the lid, ignoring the pain in his probably already battered hands. "Shi….nra" that was barely a whisper, his throat hoarse and painful.

"Did you hear that?" Kadota asked, his hand leaving the handle of the door.

"H-hear what? Don't say things like that!"

Shinra was talking to someone. Kadota! It had to be. He'd be the only one Shinra would ask help from. Izaya kicked out, banging his fists and scratching the wood. "Dota….chin,….Shinra….help"

Shinra jumped "Ok! I heard that…"

Kadota frowned "Sounded like scratching"

Izaya hit against the wood, he didn't want to pass out again, he was so tired, and it was becoming hard to breathe again, since he was struggling so much. He was starting to get really hot too, he was pretty sure he was suffocating. "Please….get me out…" he couldn't make his voice go louder than a whisper.

"And banging" Shinra said as he hid behind his friend.

"Sounds like it's coming from- that" Kadota pointed at the wooden coffin

Shinra gulped "Don't say that!" Kadota stepped forward and Shinra stumbled after him "What if a spirit attacks us?"

Kadota frowned, hearing the noise again, it almost sounded desperate. The sounds were too fast and came only after they spoke. His eyes widened when he finally figured it out. "Izaya!" he rushed over, leaving Shinra standing there open mouthed.

"Kadota?" Shinra watched him panic suddenly, hands flat on the surface of the box.

Kadota looked up at his other friend "Shinra! I think Izaya is in here!"

Shinra stumbled forward "What!?"

"Izaya is trapped in here!"

"No way! That's not possible!"

Kadota clenched his fists, he looked around and spotted something metal off to the side. "Hand me that hook!"

Izaya sighed, they were going to get him out, he was safe! He swallowed thickly, but…. _Maybe…too late _he felt exhausted, his eyes drooped closed, his body feeling so light….

Shinra ran back over to Kadota and the teen snatched the hook from him and smashed it into the edge of the lid. "Izaya! Can you hear me!? We're getting you out! You're safe now!" Kadota looked at Shinra, they couldn't hear any type of response, the knocking had ceased too. Kadota growled and pushed down on the metal and eventually, the lid pried off. Kadota pulled the hook upwards and the lid splintered, and he pushed it to the floor.

"It's him! Izaya!" Shinra cried out

Kadota grabbed the raven's shoulders. "Izaya! Can you hear me?" Izaya didn't react, Kadota took note of his bloody hands and fingernails, and glanced at the lid, scratch marks covered the inside. "Izaya! Talk to me!" Kadota shook him a little, but he wouldn't come to.

"Oh god…" Shinra seemed to tremble, he had no idea Izaya was in this much trouble. He should have reacted sooner. Should have figured it out!

Kadota lifted the small raven out of the box and placed him on the floor. He took his jacket off and bundled it up, placing it under Izaya's head, it was then he noticed the dried blood by his temple. Someone, or something, had knocked him out and trapped him in there. "Izaya, come on…." Kadota placed his index and middle finger to the raven's neck, he knew how to check someone's pulse at least. His eyes widened, head snapping up to Shinra. "Shinra CPR!" when it appeared that Shinra was in shock, Kadota snapped. "SHINRA! HE'S NOT BREATHING! CPR NOW!" Shinra blinked, shaken out of his stupor, Shinra's father was a doctor, so it made sense that his son knew basic first aid, he'd seen it for himself when Shinra bandaged Izaya's ankle outside. Surely he knew CPR. Shinra nodded and quickly knelt down with them, before he could press his shaky hands on Izaya's chest, Kadota stopped him. "Wait. Calm down first. If you act too hastily, you might break his ribs"

Shinra swallowed. Kadota was right. "I know. ok. you're right. I'm ok" more calmly, and with steadier hands, Shinra pressed against Izaya's chest, counting. "One. Two. Three. Four. Five" they waited, but the raven didn't respond. Shinra tried again. Nothing. "Come on Izaya. Please…."

"Shinra. You're going to have to use mouth to mouth. Chest compressions aren't enough!"

Shinra bit his lip, if it weren't for the situation….he shook his head, this situation was bad no matter what. He nodded, "Izaya, I'm doing this to save your life, so don't be mad" Shinra said as he pressed down against his chest, then pinched Izaya's nose, lifting his head back slightly and placed his own mouth over the other's.

Kadota clenched his fists, why wasn't he waking up? He looked at Izaya's hands again, they had no idea how long Izaya had been in there….what if they were too late? "Come on…..please"

Shinra tried the procedure again, his mouth closed over Izaya's and he breathed into him, desperation clinging to his heart. Izaya suddenly coughed, gasping out and making Shinra jump. "Izaya! You're alive! You're ok!" Shinra couldn't help the tears forming, even Kadota sighed as he smiled through glistening eyes.

"You gave us a scare" he said

Izaya coughed weakly and Shinra helped him to sit up, Izaya clung to him, almost afraid of slipping back into the darkness. "It's ok. You're ok now. We're here, you're safe" Izaya tried to talk, but he couldn't get any words out. "Kadota. There's water in my bag" Shinra ordered. Kadota quickly unzipped his friend's bag that was still attached to his back, he pulled out the bottle and handed it to Shinra. Shinra unscrewed the lid and held it against Izaya's lips. "Drink it. it's water"

Izaya glanced up at him but complied, opening his mouth as Shinra gently tipped the bottle. Satisfied that Izaya was drinking normally, he took it away and set it aside. "Izaya-"

Kadota couldn't help but feel angry. "Are you insane!? What the hell were you thinking!? Damn it Izaya, what if we hadn't found you! you-" Flashes of the marks on the wood and that of the raven's hands, and how shaken and pale Izaya looked, caused him to relent. Kadota closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm down. He realised just how scared Izaya must have been, he must have been calling for help and struggling for hours. "I'm sorry. I've no right to yell. Not after that"

Shinra pulled his rucksack off and pulled out his first aid kit. Izaya flinched away when Shinra tried to look at his hands, he hid them under his arms, curling up slightly. "Izaya. I need to check them; they could be broken- and- I should at least clean them"

"Hey Shinra, leave it for now. I think he's in shock. Let's, find a way out of here and worry about it later"

Shinra frowned as he looked up at Kadota, he looked back at Izaya and nodded. "Ok. Izaya? Is there another way out of here?" Shinra sighed when he didn't get a reply. He was worried about his friend's state of mind, he'd been practically buried alive, who knew what that might do to a person.

"What about the door we saw up top? There are stairs over there"

"But there's nothing but a giant hole after it. you said it yourself, Izaya is probably the only one light enough to get across" Shinra looked at his friend and then back to Kadota. "And I don't think he's in any state to even do that right now"

"First let's see if the door will actually open"

Shinra nodded and looked back at Izaya, the raven seemed to have curled up, hugging his knees, just staring blankly. "Izaya?" Shinra looked worriedly at his other friend, Kadota pointed a thumb in the door's direction.

"Come on. Give him a bit of space; might need your help with this door if it's locked. Bring that hook with ya"

"All right" Shinra stood up, bringing the metal hook with him as he followed Kadota toward the stairs.

Izaya glanced over, keeping an eye on his friends, his chin touching his knee. The raven hugged his legs tighter; he couldn't stop shaking, he didn't know how to deal with this. What if he became withdrawn? He didn't even know if he could speak properly. He began wondering if what he went through, might cause him mental trauma. "I'm probably claustrophobic now…" Izaya blinked. Well, that was one good thing, at least he hadn't lost his voice. Maybe Kadota was right, he might just be in shock, does someone even know when they're in shock? Are they aware of it? Izaya knew one thing. He didn't want to remain here any longer, he glanced to the side, flinching at the sight of the coffin. He certainly didn't want to be near that thing anymore. Izaya stood up, his legs wobbly, and they felt stiff. He took the time to stretch out his arms and get some normal feeling back in his body. He winced when he flexed his fingers and shook the numbness from his hands. Izaya let out a hiss when he placed his weight on his bad ankle, which had probably worsened due to trying to kick the coffin open.

Izaya limped toward the desk, he picked up one of the files and then felt something brush by his arm. Izaya jumped and then swerved to the left, the spirit from before…. She was standing by the door, the other door. suddenly, it seemed to make sense to him, he'd only seen two spirits, why not the others? Because Rio hung herself and Haruna fought back, so in a way, those two were at peace, they died their way. But, Saki and Mika didn't, and that's why their spirits were unable to rest. They wanted someone to find them, to discover what happened here. Mika- the girl with the ring around her neck, chose him for the job because she was aware of his ability to see her. Saki, the girl he was looking at now, wanted him to find her, to find them.

Kadota grunted, followed by a crashing sound and then- "Izaya, we got the door open-" Izaya paused in his approach to the other door, his back facing his friends. "What are you doing?" Kadota and Shinra ran toward him. "Hey. Let's get the hell out of here. Izaya?" Izaya clasped the handle of the door, unwilling to turn back now. "What are you doing?"

"Ending this"

"What do you mean, ending this? Izaya come on" Shinra whined, though he was happy that Izaya was talking.

"I'll explain everything. Just trust me"

Kadota frowned and placed a hand on Izaya's shoulder. "We're with you"

Izaya nodded and though his smile seemed forced, Shinra returned it. The raven then took a breath and pulled on the handle, Kadota helped him pull the door open the rest of the way. Shinra stepped behind them, daring a glance inside, he half expected to see rotting corpses, but remembered how much time had passed since this happened. What they did see, were four human skulls, with other scattered bones in the large-what most likely was a storage room.

Izaya stepped forward, he felt sick, he felt angry. He knelt down on the floor, lightly grazing his damaged fingers over one of the skulls. "I'm sorry…." He whispered.

Kadota and Shinra share a glance, looking down with sad hearts. "So whatever happened to these girls, whoever put them in here, didn't even have the decency to give them a burial" Kadota said angrily.

Izaya clenched his eyes shut, flashes of what he'd seen on the projector, and what he'd read went through his mind. He wondered if he'd even be able to sleep again. Kadota and Shinra still didn't know what really happened, did they? Izaya then thought about what Kadota had said, and he knew what he wanted to do, and he had a feeling it would help finally lay the spirits of these girls to rest. Izaya stood up, he couldn't do it alone, it was a delicate matter. "Shinra. Dotachin. I need your help"

In the untouched garden at the back of the building, the three teens had discovered a flat part of the terrain, one that hadn't been overgrown with moss and weeds. They'd emptied four of the filing cabinet draws and tore up an old sheet they'd found in the storage room. As gently as they could without damaging them, they had moved the skeletons of the four girls and wrapped them in the fabric. Getting out of the basement, was a lot easier, and less painful then getting down. They took advantage of the storage room, discovering to their delight, a very long length of rope. Izaya took the rope with him, and even though Kadota and Shinra protested that he was in no shape to shimmy across the edge of the room above, Izaya succeeded. He tied the long rope to the stair rail just outside, since that was the sturdiest place he could find. Kadota climbed up first, leaving Shinra to tie the other end to the four cabinets so they could lever them up without any trouble. Once Shinra was safely above, they each made their way out of the building, with the four cabinets-Kadota carrying two- and found a nice patch of terrain to give the girls the burial they deserved.

Izaya didn't say a word throughout the whole process, and his two friends were wondering if maybe Izaya shouldn't have helped with it, given what he'd gone through. But their raven friend was determined to finish this, whatever that meant. It took a while, since they only managed to find one shovel, Shinra and Kadota took it in turns, Izaya tried, but his hands were bothering him, and he couldn't keep his grip for long.

They had found planks of bark around the area, so Izaya sat down and carved out their names with a screwdriver they'd found, whilst Shinra and Kadota finished digging. Izaya became irritated as another thing crossed his mind, had he brought his switchblade with him today, he might have been able to get out of the coffin a lot sooner, maybe even right away. Izaya almost always carried it with him, but he figured it wasn't going to be of any use against spirits anyway, and he didn't want to lose it. he very much regretted that now and vowed to never ever leave home without it again.

Once the holes were deep enough, Izaya helped his friends lower the cabinets into them and then shoved the mud back into the hole, sealing them up and flattening the terrain as much as possible. They couldn't know which of the skeleton's belonged to whom, but Izaya didn't think that mattered, he placed each of the bark's he'd carved onto, into the ground above the burials. They stood in silence for a moment out of respect.

"Izaya?" Shinra called after a few minutes. "Are you ready to go?" Izaya looked up and spotted two of the spirits by the back of the house, he wasn't sure, but he could have sworn he saw them smile, right before they disappeared up into the air. Izaya tilted his head up, watching them fade away. "Izaya?"

Izaya nodded and they made their way back around to the front. Once they reached the fence, they stopped to take a rest. Sitting and leaning against the wired barricade. "I know you're mad at me" Izaya spoke softly, he had some serious explaining to do, he knew that, and after literally saving his life, he owed them the truth about everything.

"Don't worry about it. the important thing is that you're safe, and we got to you-relatively in time" Kadota said and he took a swig of water that Shinra had packed, the teen was eccentric sometimes, but he was a good survivor where it counted.

"I don't deserve forgiveness that easily. There's some things I should have told you before, maybe if I had, what happened today might not have happened at all"

"Izaya it's ok. don't be hard on yourself, we're just happy that you're ok" Shinra told him, but Izaya wasn't going to let it go, if he didn't tell them now, he never would.

Kadota sensed his stubbornness and encouraged his friend to continue. "All right. Explain it to us"

"You- you don't have to believe me…"

Shinra leaned his head back "After everything that happened, why wouldn't we?"

"I can see spirits" Izaya then blurted out. "I- can see them, see ghosts, sometimes apparitions. I have been able to for a while now, back when I was in middle school" Shinra and Kadota stared at him, they were surprised, but neither one was truly angry. At least, not Kadota anyway. "I saw a spirit in the window on my first day walking home from school. That's why I wanted to know more about the building, that's why I-" Izaya glanced at Shinra, the bespectacled teen realised then.

"That's why you joined the club, just so you'd have somewhere to research, and you knew I'd help you"

Izaya tilted his in confusion, Shinra had misunderstood him. "Shinra. That wasn't the only reason I joined. It was a reason, but not to use you in the way you think" Shinra smiled sadly at the ground and then stood up.

"Well, its over now. You know about the building. I guess this means we can go our separate ways now"

Izaya frowned, that was not what he thought, not at all. The raven stood up, and grasped Shinra's arm. "You've got it all wrong. Just listen to me. I didn't use you, I wanted to be your friend. I thought that by investigating the building together, and by joining your club, that we would become good friends. No one I've known shares the same passion about the paranormal like you do, and then- we got Kadota too, and- I realised that I liked having you both as friends"

Shinra turned to Izaya then, hearing him open up that way, how could he not believe him… "You could have told me. I would have understood, I know how hard it is to make friends, I know that more then anyone. I also said that, I'm that type of friend that you can share anything with. I might poke fun a little, but I can be counted upon"

Izaya grinned at little "And I said that you should leave people to figure it out for themselves"

Shinra smiled "And you did"

Izaya smiled back then "I suppose I did"

"When I asked you if you saw anything that day you were pushed down the stairs-"

Kadota blinked "Wait, you were pushed down the stairs?"

Izaya looked over at him "Middle school" then he looked back at Shinra.

"You saw something, didn't you?" Shinra asked

"I did. I only lied because we had barely known each other a day. I wasn't ready to tell you about that part of my life. But, I should have told you a lot sooner than this"

Shinra placed his hand on Izaya's shoulder "It's ok. I'm sure you had your reasons. Maybe you thought that I might tell others"

Izaya nodded, feeling caught. "That's partly true. And I didn't know if you'd actually believe me"

Kadota was confused, he had no idea what the two were talking about before, but he knew one thing- "I believe you, Izaya. But that doesn't mean I'm not completely mad about what happened. You could have at least told us you were coming back here"

Izaya lowered his head, nodding slightly, biting his lower lip. "Yeah. I'm kind of mad at me too"

Kadota huffed "Good. We honestly thought you were gone"

Izaya grinned up at him, the two unsure whether or not the raven was simply trying to bottle up his feelings on the situation, but it didn't matter right now. "Ne. you can't get rid of me that easily Dotachin"

Kadota rolled his eyes and shook his head with a laugh.

"Hey. Izaya? Did you find out what happened to the girls?"

Izaya tensed and his grin faded. "I did. They were forced a bunch of lies and these two men used them as test subjects. For all kinds of experiments, they were tortured in ways you couldn't imagine. There were files on the tests. I only saw two spirits in the building, and I wondered why. Then I found out that one hung herself, and one fought back against them, they killed her by accident"

"So those two- you didn't see their spirits because it was like they were already at peace"

Izaya nodded "But the other two. One was disfigured….and the other one drowned"

Kadota clenched his fists in anger "Damn. How can anyone do that?"

"I don't know. but they wanted me to know. that's why I went back. I- I had a dream, more like a memory, but the memory wasn't mine"

"How's that possible?" Kadota said, he was totally lost now.

"It was like I was reliving one of their memory's, but through myself instead. I looked it up, it's real, I read about it before, but I didn't think it could happen"

Shinra threw his arms out wide in shock. "No way! Are you talking about post cognitive dreams?"

Izaya blinked, not overly surprised Shinra knew about it. "I had one. But it had never happened before, that's how I knew that the room below had something to do with it all"

Kadota shook his head "Ok. what?"

Shinra turned to him, ready to explain. "Post cognitive dreams. Or rather, retrocognition. Knowledge of past events which could not have been learned or interfered by normal means"

Kadota looked at Izaya "And you have that?"

Izaya wasn't quite sure how to answer, it could have been a one time moment. "I don't know. like I said, it hasn't happened before"

"So you can see spirits and you have retrocognition? So not fair"

Izaya chuckled "Well, I'm sure your knowledge on the paranormal is more than mine"

Shinra pouted "Now you're just making fun"

Becoming serious again, there was something that Kadota still wanted to know. "Do you think those spirits attacked you out of anger?"

Izaya looked at him, he shook his head "The spirits of the girls weren't responsible for me being trapped"

"Huh? How do you know?"

"The girl that fought back, she was suppose to go into that coffin to finish the experiment, they accidently killed her before it was complete. She was the last one, they probably tried to lure more here, but whatever ad they put out, had become suspicious by then, so they most likely gave up. I don't know how either of those responsible died, but the spirit left behind was still trying to complete the experiment. That was most likely the spirit that attacked Shinra"

"And when you- when it trapped you, the spirit left"

Izaya hid his hands under his arms, almost self-hugging. He nodded. "Right. It knocked me out somehow, and then I woke up-there"

Silence ensued around them, neither one knowing what to say next. "Its really late. We should get out of here" Kadota said.

Kadota helped the raven over the fence and then remained on the top to help Shinra.

They stared at the building, no one would know what it really was, to everyone else, it was just an abandoned building. to them, it was a death trap. "At least they can finally rest in peace now" Shinra said quietly. The other two nod in agreement. "Oh. By the way, Izaya?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't get mad. But when I was worrying about you, I got your home number from the school's information site" Izaya raised an eyebrow. "It was Kadota's idea!"

"Hey!"

Izaya just chuckled "You're not mad?"

"Not really. I'm surprised you haven't done that before now"

"Well. Your Mom answered, she got home, and you obviously weren't there. that's when we knew something was wrong"

"What did you tell her?"

"I didn't want her to worry. She actually assumed that you were hanging out with us, so I just went along with it. you'll have to stay over now, since I told her that you were"

Izaya shrugged, he wouldn't admit it, but he didn't think he could handle being alone right now.

"All right" Kadota said with a stretch. "I'll see you two at school Monday, I think I'm going to relax for the rest of the weekend"

Shinra smiled "Bye. See you Monday, and thanks for the help"

Kadota raised a hand "No problem"

Izaya grabbed his wrist, stopping him from walking away. "Dota-chin…" Kadota looked back at the small raven. "Thank you. if you hadn't had- I wouldn't be here now…"

Kadota sighed and placed his hand on Izaya's head. "Just promise me one thing. Don't do anything stupid like that again"

Izaya gave him a smile "I can promise to try"

"Good enough. And get Shinra to look at your hands"

Izaya didn't reply to that, but Kadota knew he would eventually.

….

The two teens were settled in Shinra's room for the night. Izaya lay wide awake on a spare futon on Shinra's floor, while the other slept soundly on his bed. He couldn't sleep, every time he tried, he'd wake in fear that he hadn't left that box. He had to sit up and then walk around the room, just to reassure himself that he wasn't trapped. When Izaya's eyes finally drifted shut for more then an hour, he bolted upright when a more vivid nightmare woke him. He shook against the bed as he leant against it, grasping the sheet. The figure above him shifted and Izaya sensed that he might have woken his friend. "Shinra?"

"Izaya? What's wrong?"

"I- didn't mean to wake you…."

"It's all right. Have you been awake this whole time?"

"I tried to sleep. But every time I closed my eyes….it was like I was- still trapped. I had this nightmare just now- that you found me, but I- I didn't wake up, and you buried me….right where we buried those girls"

Shinra sat up then, fully awake now. "Izaya. You're safe, you're alive. We didn't bury you. besides, even if you- no way would we have done that. only your family has that right, we wouldn't have left you in that garden alone"

Izaya wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse. But this was Shinra, you always got a blunt answer, the teen meant well, Izaya knew he was trying to comfort him. "I don't want to sleep down here…." Izaya pulled his legs up to his chest.

Shinra wondered whether that might have been an issue, he had tried to insist that Izaya sleep on the bed and he down on the floor. "We'll switch. I tried to tell you, that being on the floor might not be a good idea"

Izaya crawled up on the bed and got into the covers. Shinra smiled and swung his legs over the bed, but he felt a hand on his wrist, stopping him. "Sleep here" Shinra looked back at his friend, it wasn't like him to act this way, and Shinra realised that what happened to Izaya had truly scared him, it must have been traumatising. Izaya let go. "Sorry…"

"Izaya. You have nothing to apologise for, I'm here ok?"

Izaya sat up and shuffled across and wrapped his arms around his friend. Shinra turned on the bed and held him close, Izaya needed this, he needed to release his emotions. He could hear Izaya's quiet sobs muffled into his shoulder. "I was so scared…."

Shinra's hold tightened. "I know. its ok. I'm here"

After a while, Izaya ceased his crying. "Shinra?"

"Yeah?"

"My hands hurt. Can you take a look at them now?"

Shinra huffed a laugh. "Of course"

**AN: ****I really hope you guys enjoyed this**

**and I know you've all been patient and waiting for a certain blond to show.**

**Surprise! next chapter- enter Shizuo!**

**Chapter 6- Transfer student**


	6. Transfer student

A week passed since the horrific incidents that occurred inside the mysterious building by the school. That building, which had now become officially known to the group of three friends as the death trap. Four young girls had been evidently held hostage against their will and they all died without anyone ever knowing their fate. Izaya had almost died the exact same way, it was only thanks to his friends' insightfulness and great instincts that he was spared from meeting that same fate.

The raven tried not to think about it, he didn't want what happened to affect his life. Sometimes though, he couldn't suppress his fears long enough to get much sleep at night. He often woke after a few hours, shivering from the nightmares of being buried alive. There were times he'd relive the feeling of being trapped inside the coffin, other times he'd witness his own burial by none other than the two that found him. There were a few rare ones, when he was just never found at all, and he'd become just another spirit that plagued the building, along with two other girls.

It had become a problem for him; since he barely got much sleep during the night, he found that his concentration at school was slipping. He was vaguely aware of his friends' concern, but why bother burdening them? It didn't happen to them, so what was the point? Though Izaya was also aware that Shinra had most likely already figured it out anyway, he was highly inquisitive when it came to odd behaviour in his friends. Kadota was different, he probably had an idea, but he didn't like to pry too much; which meant that if Izaya said he was fine, he'd likely just take that as the truth. That wasn't to say the other teen wasn't completely unaware of what troubled the raven, he was just the type of person that would talk about it only when the other was ready.

Unlike Shinra. Izaya knew it wasn't going to be too much longer before Shinra backed him in a corner and forced it out of him. Shinra was someone Izaya trusted, he were one of the very rare few whom he did so; he trusted Kadota sure, but Shinra ignited a whole different level of trust, and Izaya had no idea why that was.

Back to that first night once they came back from the death trap, it was the first time Izaya had ever cried in front of someone other than his parents. Izaya was afraid for two reasons that night, one being that he'd just nearly died alone in a fucking coffin, and the second being that his emotions slipped past him without so much as a brick holding them in. That was when Izaya felt his trust in Shinra completely solidify, he felt safe with him, less afraid-not much in the way of a physical sense-but, Shinra was his emotional security blanket, or something to that effect. After that night, Izaya thought everything would be ok, that things would just go back to normal.

Apparently, being almost buried alive took more than just one day to get over. who knew.

By the second week, it wasn't getting any better, in fact, it got worse. Izaya gasped for air immediately after waking, darkness was all that he could see and his hands shot out in front of himself on instinct, hitting something that wasn't there. Izaya turned and switched his bedside lamp on, every night he resisted the urge to keep it on, but if he did, his mother would suspect something was wrong. However. Izaya reached into his side draw that was locked and pulled out his flick blade, his breathing was still erratic, and tremors wracked his body. Only when the sharp blade of the knife touched the skin on his arm, creating a line of red as he dragged it across his forearm, did he begin to calm down.

The first time it happened, it wasn't a conscious decision, and he didn't quite know what to do. The first time had scared him more than his nightmare that woke him had done. There was no control on his part, and before he could stop it, a deep long gash sliced halfway down from the bottom of his wrist. Had he cut just a few inches further up, he most likely would have caught a vein. It stung for a couple of days, and he had to favour his right hand more until the wound begun to close, or at least stopped pulling against his skin. It might have needed stitches, but that would mean someone finding out. He could place it as an accident, catching his arm on something sharp, no big deal. He realised something important though, it seemed to have helped him calm down; as if the pain was a way of forcing his mind to realise that he was alive and safe.

It was the same feeling you get when you're in a dream/nightmare, and you pinch yourself or something pain stricken needs to happen to wake yourself up. It was the opposite somewhat for Izaya, waking up came first; but because it took a long time for his mind to catch up, he needed an extra jolt. The second time, came easier, and he had a slightly better control over it; and after the fourth time, Izaya found himself reaching for the blade without hesitation and with full control. Some were deeper than others, depending on the nightmare and how shaken he was left feeling.

They were surprisingly easy to hide, since he almost always wore long sleeved shirts, no one would think anything differently. The only time he had to avoid anyone seeing his arms was during Phys ed. To which he had begun to skip the class altogether. His friends were a little shocked at first, considering Izaya showed a lot of physical talent in the class, but they soon became used to it.

On the fourth week, Shinra found out.

Izaya was on the roof of the school, it was during one of their Phys ed. Classes, so no one was with him. He was extremely tired that day, he lay across the bench and simply watched the clouds change their shape, mingling into one another as a soft breeze blew across his hair. He began to doze off and before he could fight it, sleep overcame him.

Izaya jolted awake with a yelp and slid off the bench; forgetting where he currently was, on natural instinct he withdrew his knife from his pocket, raised his sleeve, placed the metal against his skin and-

"Izaya! What the hell are you doing!?"

Izaya froze. Eyes wide as he stared at the blade unmoving. Suddenly, everything seemed to make less sense, and he realised something, that even though the cuts helped to calm him, it didn't take away the reason why. It didn't stop the nightmares, it never did. Izaya glanced up, seeing Shinra running toward him, his grip on the knife tightened but he didn't move it. "Leave me alone!" it was the first thing that spewed out of his mouth, he was so shocked that he'd been caught, that he didn't know how to react. Of course, Shinra acted as though he hadn't heard him.

"Are you crazy!?" Shinra yelled, grabbing Izaya's wrist to pull the knife away from his other arm.

Izaya yanked it away, eyes glaring as he stepped back from him. "Go away! Just leave, this isn't your concern!"

Shinra narrowed his eyes following Izaya's steps, causing the raven to move further back. "Like hell it isn't! what were you thinking!?" Shinra grabbed Izaya's wrist again, wrestling the knife out of his hand and it clattered to the ground, causing the smaller male to snap.

Izaya shoved Shinra backwards so hard that the bespectacled boy fell with a thud on the ground. Izaya jumped on him and raised his fist. The look in his eyes told Shinra that he what he was going through was bad, that his instincts to check on him today were right. Lashing out was Izaya's desperate way of asking for help. Shinra wasn't going to deny him of that, even if that meant he had to fight him to do it. Shinra wasn't a fighter, he could barely throw a punch, but his need to help his friend caused adrenaline to rush through him. Shinra reached up and grabbed fists full of Izaya's shirt and pushed him off. Izaya scowled and quickly stood as Shinra moved toward him, the angry raven grabbed Shinra's jacket and shoved him against the fence. "You can't help me! You can't understand!"

"I would if you let me!"

"Fuck off!" without thinking, Izaya brought his knee up and Shinra doubled over. "I don't need your help! I'm dealing with it my way, so leave me alone!"

Shinra coughed, the blow hurt, but he didn't care, Izaya needed him. Shinra ignored the pain and punched Izaya in the mouth, shoving him against the fence, reversing their positions. "I know you've been having nightmares Izaya! You're always tired and you barely say anything during our conversations, you skip classes like Phys ed. What happened to you is something you can't just get over! stop hiding and let me help you!"

"I'm not hiding Shinra! Get off!"

"No! I'm not going to stand by and watch you kill yourself, knowing I could have done something to help"

Izaya's eyes widened, shinra thought he was going to- oh, now he understood. Izaya began to laugh, his eyes hidden behind his bangs, it soon turned bitter and dark. Shinra frowned. "Thought you had me all figured out did you?" Izaya grinned as he tilted his head back, Shinra released his hold, not liking this side of his friend. "Coming up here with your bold actions, acting like you know everything, wanting to be my 'saviour' talk me down and all that bullshit. You don't know anything, you're far from it actually. If you believe that you're always there for me, always trying to burden yourself with my issues, it'll stop you from seeing how much of a loser you are. You're pathetic"

Shinra clenched his fists, he tried to ignore what Izaya had said, but his heart tightened painfully with every word coming from his mouth. "Izaya-"

"Don't come to me with your friendship, claiming how much you want to help me, all you want to do is make yourself feel better"

"That's not-!"

Izaya shoved him away, storming past him, he picked up his fallen knife and pocketed it. He sneered at shinra before giving him a slight smirk that disappeared quickly as he said "We're no longer friends. From now on, you're just someone that goes to the same school"

"Izaya!" Shinra watched him disappear behind the door, tears threatening to fall. "I won't give up on you, I may not understand what's happening with you, but I know one thing, true friends don't just quit on each other"

Kadota watched as Izaya left their last class without so much as a glance at them. He looked at Shinra who was frowning at the empty spot where the raven had been sitting. "What's going on with you two? Ever since you skipped Phys ed. Today, you and Izaya have barely uttered a syllable to each other. And you never told me how you got that bruise on your cheek, or about the cut on his lip. Did you two get into a fight?"

Shinra sighed. No way could he tell Kadota what he'd seen on the roof. Izaya was already not talking to him, he couldn't betray him by revealing that to their other friend. "Sort of"

"What the hell happened?"

"It doesn't matter. Please can we drop this?"

Kadota shrugged "If you want"

Going home was awkward. Everyone else had already left, so the three were all that remained. Izaya sat down furthest away from them as he swapped his shoes over. he opened his locker and placed the other pair inside, grabbed his bag and slammed the door shut. Without a word, he headed for the exit. "Oi Izaya!" Kadota shouted out, he looked at Shinra who was staring sadly at the floor. He then ran to catch up to the raven before Shinra could stop him. "Izaya wait up!" Kadota grabbed his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. Izaya yanked away, frowning up at him. "What's going on? Why are you and Shinra acting like this? What happened?"

"Just leave me alone. Don't talk to me anymore. We're not friends"

Kadota blinked at the sudden hostility. Not even his annoying nickname was used. He found himself wondering what he'd done to cause Izaya to be this way toward him. "I don't understand-" Kadota frowned "It's about what happened isn't it? you've not been yourself ever since. But shutting us out isn't going to help. We're here for you Izaya"

Izaya grinned and held out his arms "So I'm just expected to embrace you both in a hug and pour out my feelings just because you say you're here for me?"

Kadota snorted with a small grin of his own "Hardly. Something like that I expect from Shinra"

There was a slight change in Izaya's cold stare, almost like he wanted to smile at the comment. "Tst. So, wise Dota-chin. What's going through your head right now?"

"Are you asking me what I think?" Izaya didn't reply, so Kadota took that as a sign to continue. "I think that whatever it is you're going through we can't possibly begin to understand. I'm not going to try either. Whichever way you chose to deal with it, I'm sure only you know what's best"

Izaya didn't know how to respond, he simply grinned and avoided it. "And nothing short of suicide crossed your mind?"

Kadota snorted at the assumption. "What the fuck? No. who the hell would think that?" Izaya's eyes flittered over at Shinra, who was still sat on the bench by the lockers, unable to hear their conversation. Kadota turned in Shinra's direction and he sighed, looking back at Izaya. "So that's why you guys are fighting"

"Partially. No need for you to worry about it. he'll get over it, besides, he has you now"

Kadota blinked in confusion "Seriously? that's it? you're just not going to be friends anymore?"

Izaya rolled his eyes "He doesn't actually need me. He just needs someone, anyone, doesn't matter who it is, just someone to make himself feel better. I sure hope you've got some issues for him to solve"

Kadota shook his head "Izaya. Shinra isn't your friend just to make himself feel better. You know damn well that's not true. People make mistakes, you made a mistake by lying to him and what did he think? The same thing you're thinking now, remember? He said the exact same thing to you, and after you explained things, he forgave you. don't you think you owe him the same response?"

Izaya narrowed his eyes. "He thought. I was. Suicidal"

Kadota scratched the back of his head. "All right. That's worse than lying to cover up your psychic ability"

"I'd say a lot worse"

"Yes it is. But enough to end a good friendship?"

"It's not like we've been friends all that long. a few months is nothing"

"Izaya. Creating the bond of friendship that you have in just a couple of months, isn't nothing" Kadota smiled "Friends like Shinra are hard to come by. To be honest, I was pretty bored before I met you two. What was it you said? 'I like having you two as friends' or something like that"

Izaya looked away from him, unable to keep his cold façade up. "I don't- forgiveness takes a lot of effort"

"So it's easier to break it off right?" Izaya seemed to shuffle his feet "What makes it effort in the first place is if it's only one sided. I bet Shinra is willing to do anything to get you to forgive him. You can say or do whatever you want, you know he won't leave you alone. The only question is, are you really willing to end your friendship?"

"What if I am? What if I don't care?"

"All right. Then answer me this then. What if Shinra hadn't forgiven you? what if he was still mad that you lied to him, that you just used him to indulge your curiosity of that death trap. Would you accept it? would you be willing to give up trying so easily like you want him to?"

Izaya shoved his hands in his pockets. "Maybe"

"Oh yeah. that was very convincing" Izaya glared at him, what did Kadota expect? He didn't like being interrogated like this. The boy was scolding him for fuck sake. Kadota sighed. "Look. I don't know what lead Shinra to believe you were suicidal in the first place. But I know it had to have been a damn good reason. Shinra wouldn't come to that conclusion on his own like that. don't you think he deserves an explanation? I know you trust him with things like this, more so then with me" Kadota then teased "Not at all offended by the way" Izaya rolled his eyes and a small smile of amusement finally showed itself. "He's the one person I know you trust completely, so I don't know why now all of a sudden you're choosing to hide"

"I'm not-"

"Fine. You're not hiding. Whatever it is you're doing; it can't be good. Shinra's worried about you, he wants to help, and not because it'll make himself feel better"

"Wise Dota-chin indeed" Izaya grinned

"Shut up. How'd I end up becoming the wise older brother in this triangle?"

Izaya shrugged "We didn't ask you to"

"Yeah well. Somebody has to keep you both out of trouble" Izaya chuckled "So am I right in thinking, since you said we, that you're willing to forgive him?"

Izaya turned on his heel and walked away without saying anything. Kadota smiled, watching him go, it wasn't a yes, but it wasn't a no either.

Shinra stood up as Kadota walked back into the building. "He hates me" Shinra said with a slump. Kadota frowned and smacked him on the back of the head. "Ow!"

"Honestly. Do you ever think before you speak?"

Shinra rubbed his head with a pout "What do you mean?"

"Izaya told me"

Shinra looked up "Huh?"

"He told me that you thought he was suicidal, or something like that"

Shinra winced and looked down at the floor "Oh"

"Oh? What were you thinking? I know what he went through was awful, but he's not going to just launch himself off a building. even I know that" Shinra almost laughed "I know there's a lot of ways someone can end their life. But since I know you're not going to tell me what lead you to your assumption, it was the first thing I could think of"

"He didn't tell you?"

Kadota shook his head "You know he won't. but I don't think he hates you"

"Really?"

"I think he's just a stubborn idiot"

Shinra laughed "You're right about that"

"I know you won't, and I think he knows it too, but don't give up on him"

Shinra shook his head "I don't plan to"

Izaya looked at his phone, he sat up on his bed, staring at the incoming call from Shinra. His thumb hovered over the answer button before skimming past and pressing ignore. He chucked his phone beside him. He placed his head in his hands, clutching at his hair out of frustration. He'd found a way to deal with his nightmares, so he thought, but Shinra showing up on that roof just seemed to unravel that solution. He raised up his sleeves. Some of the cuts had begun to scar now, others were still sensitive to touch, like the one from two nights ago that was covered up with a bandage to help it heal. Staring at each of his arms, it wasn't a solution at all, all he was doing was covering it up, just like his cuts. His phone pinged and he read a message, Izaya groaned. :If you won't answer me, then I'm coming over:

Izaya didn't bother even replying, Shinra would come over whether he answered or not. If he told Shinra what was going on, would that solve the problem? He didn't believe it would, but maybe it would help? He brushed the long scar on his right arm with his fingertips, that first cut seemed like it happened ages ago, had it really only been four weeks? If his mother saw these, she'd freak. She'd probably pay for a therapist. Izaya laughed "Like that would work" there was a sudden knock on his door. Izaya quickly covered his arms as the door opened and Shinra's head poked round. "Go away"

Shinra shook his head and closed the door behind him. "Your Mum let me up"

"I don't want to see you"

Shinra ignored him and climbed on the bed and sat opposite him. "Then close your eyes. Because I'm not leaving"

Izaya glared at him and snorted "Smart ass"

"Izaya. I'm truly sorry about what happened on the roof, I was just in shock- when I saw the knife- I just-"

Izaya sighed, cutting Shinra off. "I get it now. I know it probably looked that way from your point of view. But I was angry, angry at you for being too damn inquisitive, for jumping to conclusions, I was angry at myself for getting caught"

Shinra frowned then "What do you mean?"

"I-"

Shinra noticed Izaya's hesitation, he shuffled closer, knowing the other raven couldn't back off. "Izaya, talk to me" Izaya bit his bottom lip, wincing as his teeth grazed the small cut there. "Sorry about that"

"Well at least I know if you're angry enough, you can throw a punch" Shinra showed Izaya his knuckles and the teen laughed "Well, almost" Shinra looked down at the bed, avoiding Izaya's gaze. "About what I said…"

Shinra shook his head "I deserved it"

"Let me finish" Izaya leaned over and flicked him on the head. Shinra pouted at him. Izaya grinned a little before he became serious once more. "I don't think that way. I was just angry. I know you don't think that way either, that you don't just want to help for your own sake. So for that, I'm sorry"

Shinra smiled "Everyone says things when they're angry"

"Tst. Don't act like your feelings weren't hurt, that's my trick, and you suck at it"

"Mean"

"It's true. You're extremely transparent"

"Fine. But- I shouldn't have assumed, so I probably did deserve it"

"I think anyone would think the same if they found their best friend with a knife to his arm"

Shinra nodded, and then he clocked on to what Izaya had just said "Best friend?"

Izaya whacked him on the shoulder "Shut up"

The two were silent for a moment, a sure sign that things between them would probably be ok. after a while, Izaya spoke again. "It happened without thinking the first time"

Shinra jumped at the break of silence "Ok?"

Izaya brought his legs up to his chest, his chin leaning over his knee. "It's true. I have been having nightmares. I have them almost every night. I can't sleep when they occur and to be honest, I don't really want to. Sometimes I'm in the coffin, sometimes I'm being buried, sometimes I don't even get found. It happened around four weeks ago, I awoke really shaken, I couldn't get myself to calm down. Involuntarily, I reached for my knife, and before I knew what I was doing, there was a large cut down my arm" Shinra swallowed, he was shocked, he didn't know what to say. "I came to realise that it actually calmed me down. That the initial pain brought me back to my senses-in a matter of speaking. After the fourth time, I had full control over it, it's my way of getting my brain to realise that I'm awake, that I'm alive" Shinra opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Izaya tilted his head back and laughed ruefully. "You know what's worse? I don't think I can stop it. being caught by you made me realise that. what if it had been someone else that saw me? Like a teacher. Maybe I don't have as much control as I thought" Shinra noticed Izaya hands were beginning to shake. "What if I can't stop? It doesn't stop the nightmares Shinra. It just covers them up. But I can't stop it…. I can't stop them, I can't…"

Shinra quickly shuffled forward and forced Izaya into a hug, pulling him close. "Shh…, calm down. It's ok. its ok. you're not alone" Shinra rested his hand at the back of Izaya's neck. The raven pulled away slowly, looking into the other teen's eyes with tear stained cheeks.

"Shinra…"

"You're not alone, ok?" Izaya's lips moved to reply but he leaned forward instead and Shinra met him the rest of the way. Their lips pressed against each other's, Izaya's hands moved and grabbed Shinra's shirt to pull him closer. Shinra leaned over him and lay his hand at Izaya's small waste and then Izaya switched their positions. "Izaya…"

Shinra bolted upright, his heart hammered against his chest. A hand coming up to cover his mouth in shock. "What the hell!" Shinra turned and pressed his face into his pillow, blushing profusely. "This cannot be happening!" his voice muffled by the fabric as he punched the bed.

That was _so _not how the end of that went.

_Shinra quickly shuffled forward and forced Izaya into a hug, pulling him close. "Shh…, calm down. It's ok. its ok. you're not alone" Izaya pulled away with a slight laugh, wiping at his eyes. Shinra frowned. "Can I see?"_

_Izaya looked at him and then avoided his gaze as he slowly raised his sleeves. "I know it's not really helping, but…I feel like it does"_

"_I don't tend to try to understand. I just- there's so many already" Shinra raised his hand to touch Izaya's arm, Izaya flinched away. "I can't believe you've been dealing with this on your own this long, like this. I'm sorry"_

_Izaya frowned "It's not your fault. I didn't know what to do. I thought you might think I was insane"_

_Shinra grabbed Izaya's hands "I would never think that"_

_Izaya sighed "What do I do? How do I stop this Shinra? How do I stop the nightmares?"_

"_I don't know about the nightmares just yet. But first things first" Shinra let go of his hands and held his palm out. "Give me your knife"_

_Izaya looked at him like he'd grown an extra head "W-what?"_

"_I'm serious. Don't think that I'm treating this as though you really are suicidal. Because if that was true, I'd be taking away a lot more than just your knife"_

_Izaya tried to tease "How will I defend myself? That is the reason I have it in the first place"_

_Shinra continued to hold his palm out "You're a fast runner. You can defend yourself easily by simply dodging"_

_Izaya snorted "That's bold"_

"_Shut up. Now give me it"_

_Izaya stared at him for a moment, and Shinra thought he was going to get thrown out. Izaya turned and opened the draw and then handed him the blade. "If I get beaten up now, it's your fault"_

_Shinra shook his head "Don't be dramatic. You'll be fine. I'll give it back, once I know you're ok"_

"_Will I?"_

_Shinra smiled "Without a doubt" Shinra raised his finger "In fact. I have an idea. What if you slept with a light on for a while?"_

_Izaya clicked his tongue "I already thought of that. my mother will get suspicious"_

_Shinra tapped his chin in thought, then he clicked his fingers. "I haven't slept over here before have I?"_

_Izaya blinked "No"_

"_Ok. so my next idea is, a school break starts tomorrow after school. Which gives us a whole week off. What if I sleep over and we tell your Mom that I can't sleep without a light?"_

_Izaya couldn't help but laugh "Are you serious? You're fifteen. She's not going to believe that"_

"_Oh come on. Anyone can be scared of the dark. Not just kids"_

"_Shinra. My sisters aren't even scared of the dark and they're six" _

_Shinra chuckled "Come on. She'll believe it. she's met me right?" Shinra grinned_

_Izaya laughed "You're actually willing to throw your macho-ness away to help me?"_

_Shinra puffed out his chest "You think I'm macho?"_

_Izaya snorted "Hardly. But still"_

"_I don't care anyway"_

"_So you're going to tell my parents, that you have Nyctophobia?"_

"_Sure"_

_Izaya sighed "If that's what you want"_

"_Besides. I'll be here, so I can help you when you have a bad dream" Izaya nodded, maybe Shinra being here would be good for him. "In any case. Your sisters love me"_

_Izaya chuckled then. "That's because they think you're a climbing frame. And you let them"_

_Shinra grinned_

Shinra groaned when he heard his alarm go off. He looked across the room at his premade rucksack, he was going to be spending the week at Izaya's. dream be damned, he wouldn't break his promise. "Just a dream anyway. Doesn't mean anything" Shinra looked on his nightstand, Izaya's knife was sitting on top of his alarm clock. "I'm going to help him"

True to his word, Shinra spent the next week over at Izaya's. despite still having the nightmares, Shinra felt that his stay had helped. They messed around during the day, Kadota came over a couple of times and they spent those days playing with the twins. At night, Shinra would wake whenever Izaya did and talk to him for hours until he felt calmer. Shinra didn't care about the lack of sleep, with each day he was there, the nightmares became less frequent.

But by the time the week was over, Shinra began to worry that whatever progress the two had made, might only be because of his presence.

The first day back was proof of that. Izaya seemed to retreat back. It was true, that he'd gotten a little better, he promised Shinra that he didn't have nightmares as often and that his urge to deal with them by causing himself harm was slowly dwindling. Izaya was still not himself though, and as much as he tried to tell them otherwise, his friends noticed, and Izaya knew it too. Shinra was worried, what if his friend never fully recovered from this? What if this was the calm before the storm and it was going to get worse? What if Izaya fell into a depressive cycle? He didn't want to believe any of that. he wanted to believe that his friend would recover, and his hopes were raised- when a new student piqued Izaya's curiosity-on the very next day.

"All right. Everyone settle down please"

Shinra cleared his throat as he stood up "Stand" he said to the class, the students rose from their chairs. "Bow" and with that, they all took a respectful bow and then returned to their seats.

"Now then. Before you all head off to your classes. There's a few announcements I need to make. First off, there's no social club today after school since the teacher is absent" two of the students within the class quietly cheered and high fived the other. "Secondly. A new student is joining our school late, he should be here any sec-" just then a tall slender young male with blonde hair walked into the room, a rucksack slung over one shoulder, wearing the school's blue blazer uniform. "Ah. There he is. Right on cue. Please stand once more" the students stood up. "Class 3A. this is Shizuo Heiwajima. He recently moved and transferred from Kitano high school in Osaka" Shizuo's eyes scanned the room with a scowl on his face. This was ridiculous, he'd gone to three different high schools already since the term began, why they bothered with the introductions anymore was beyond his comprehension. He looked at the teacher who smiled at him, yeah, he was pretty sure the man was thinking the same thing. He'd probably be out of here before long anyway. But. Shizuo sighed inwardly. He promised his brother he'd try his best with this one.

"Why you transferring so late? Kicked out or something?" Shizuo's grip on the handle of his bag tightened and he snapped his head toward the student that spoke.

"Got a problem with that!? he growled out loudly. The boy shrunk down in his seat, quickly shaking his head. The teacher blinked at him and he avoided the accusing stare. "Sorry" he mumbled.

"Um. Heiwajima. Please, go ahead and take your seat. T-there's a space at the back near Kyouko" everyone took their seats again, they watched as Shizuo made his way to the back of the classroom, slumping down in his seat. He dropped his bag by the table, and it made the girl next to him jump slightly. Shizuo sighed. New school, but nothing changed.

Izaya, Shinra and Kadota watched him grumpily cross his arms over his desk. "Hasn't he got a temper" Izaya teased with a grin.

"Who wouldn't be angry after that sort of comment" Shinra replied

Izaya looked at him "You"

"I would too"

Izaya laughed "You would not. You'd just laugh it off and agree"

Kadota chuckled and said "Well. Not like he didn't deny it"

Shinra nodded "That's true. Do you think he really got kicked out?"

Kadota shrugged "Not our business. He didn't sound so happy about it"

"Maybe it's the opposite. Maybe he doesn't care" Izaya said "Maybe he's proud of being a delinquent"

Kadota rolled his eyes "Don't be an asshole"

Izaya chuckled and his two friends went back to paying attention to their homeroom.

Shizuo could feel a set of eyes on him, he sensed he was being watched. He turned to find just that, when his sight landed on someone across from him. Raven black hair. Skinny frame. The boy was smirking at him. _What the hell is he smirking at? Asshole._

Shinra and Kadota walked into the library, shinra pointed over in the computer's direction. "There he is" they walk over to meet Izaya, whom seemed to be grinning at something on the screen. "What are you so upbeat about?"

"Just fishing for some dirt on our new classmate"

Kadota sighed and took a seat next to his friend, while Shinra took the other. "Why?"

Izaya shrugged "Bored"

"What makes you think there's anything interesting about him?"

Izaya's grin widened "Because there is" he clicked on a URL link that was posted on their school's website.

"It's only been half a day and people are already talking about him?" Shinra asked, pushing up his glasses.

"Actually" Izaya replied "Some of the students at the school already knew about him. He seems to have gotten himself a reputation. They claim that he's a monster. That his temper is nothing short of extraordinary"

"What's that mean?" Kadota asked

"Watch" Izaya said as he clicked the play button. Shizuo appeared in view, raging outside a school on the grounds, he picked up a goal post and flung it halfway across the pavement. A few students approached him, but he grasped the field lamp and dragged it out of the ground and swung it at them.

"Whoa!" Shinra gasped "That's incredible!"

"That's not possible, this can't be real"

"I think it's real. Look where the link originated" Izaya said as he pointed at the bottom of the screen.

Kadota leaned in closer "Kinato. Holy crap"

"How the hell does he do that?" Shinra said

"I'm more wondering how he doesn't collapse. He doesn't even look like he works out or anything, can't be no heavier than me or Shinra"

"Looks are deceiving" Izaya said. He scrolled down and clicked on another page. "Someone also said that he's been to at least three other schools before this one. Since the high school term begun"

"That's crazy. He get kicked out of them all?"

"Apparently"

Shinra leaned back in his chair "I wonder if there was some other reason. Why he rages like that, we don't know his side, he can't just be angry for no reason"

"Other than being a monster" Izaya commented

Kadota nudged him "Come on. You don't really believe that do you?"

Izaya shrugged and stood up. "Whatever. I'm hungry. Let's get food"

The three make their way out of the library and begin up the last flight of stairs. Izaya spotted the familiar blond hair turn into a room. He called up to the others. "I'll meet you there" the two shrug and then Izaya skipped down the corridor and stepped quietly into the room that he'd seen Shizuo walk into. He ducked behind the wall when he realised the blond was on the phone.

"Yeah. it's kind of the same. Nothing changes. They already know about me, some anyway. Huh? No. don't worry. I promised you didn't I? I won't damage the school; I won't lash out. Anyway, thanks for checking on me. Bye Kasuka"

Izaya grinned _interesting _

Izaya made his way toward his friends, Kadota and Shinra turn to him, Kadota shifted across the bench to make room for him. Izaya sat down between them and immediately picked out the fatty tuna from Shinra's bento box and lay his head on his lap and his feet across Kadota's. they didn't really mind, since they'd become used to it by now. Shinra shook the images of his dream from his head, he narrowed his eyes curiously. "What's with that knowing grin on your face?"

Izaya looked up at him, unable to shake off the grin. "Nothing"

"Hmm. What did you do?"

Kadota looked down at him with a raised eyebrow, Izaya chuckled "What?"

"You know. you've been a little more upbeat since that Heiwajima student showed up this morning"

"Think so?" Izaya sat up and reached out for a salmon roll but Kadota whacked his hand with his chopsticks. Izaya pulled a face, rubbing his hand.

"Don't give me that look. You should bring your own food"

"Why bother when I can steal yours?" Shinra chuckled and picked out his own salmon roll, holding out on his chopsticks. Izaya turned with a grin and opened his mouth, Shinra shook his head as Izaya took the sushi without hesitation. "See! Shinra wouldn't let me starve!"

Kadota rolled his eyes "That's because he's too nice"

Izaya grabbed the teen's shirt, leaning on him with feigned hurt. "You would let me starve-Dota-chin?"

Kadota shoved him off his shoulder "Shut up. You do that enough on your own already" he sighed and picked out his fatty tuna and handed it to Izaya. Izaya grinned and happily ate the sushi.

Izaya laughed and wrapped his arms around Kadota's neck "Naw! Dota-chin does care!"

"Stop calling me that" The door behind them suddenly opened and the three became silent as they watched Shizuo make himself comfortable on the bench, placing his bento box on the ground. Kadota tilted his head as he observed the quiet individual. _Doesn't seem all that bad to me. People are just assholes. _Kadota got up. "I'm gonna go introduce myself"

Shinra nodded and watched their friend walk toward the newbie. "Be careful"

Izaya laughed "Watch out! He might throw a bench at you!"

Shinra slapped him on the arm, replying with a whispered tone "Izaya! That's not what I meant"

"Yes it is"

Shizuo gritted his teeth, clenching his fists when he heard someone shout out. He glanced over, oh, now he could place that annoying arrogant voice with a face, the smug face from his homeroom. _Asshole _Shizuo looked up when he noticed someone else approaching him. The boy didn't seem like he was there to start anything, Shizuo found himself thinking how strange it was for someone to approach him with a friendly gesture, and not an attack.

"Yo" Kadota greeted, hand raised. "Name's Kyohei Kadota. I'm in your homeroom"

Shizuo sat up a little straighter when Kadota stretched his hand out for him to take. "Oh. Right. I'm not very good at remembering people much"

"S'all right. You're Shizuo right?"

"Yeah. can I help you with something?"

"Nah. Just came over to introduce myself. Was gonna ask if you wanted to join us"

Shizuo scowled suddenly as his eyes flicked over to the other two. That asshole was still fucking grinning at him! "Not a good idea. But thanks"

Kadota tilted his head in confusion and then turned to his friends. And he knew exactly who Shizuo was glaring at. He chuckled. "Oh. Don't let him get to you. he's a good guy on the inside really, you just- you have to get to know him I guess. His name is Izaya Orihara, he's a good friend of mine actually, along with Shinra Kishitani"

"Tst" Shizuo lay across the bench, arms behind his head "Who the hell would wanna be friends with someone like that. but I guess that's your call"

Kadota smiled "Well Shizuo. Good talking to you I guess. Are you sure you don't-"

Kadota looked up to see Shinra grabbing Izaya's hand, obviously trying to stop him from coming over

"Izaya, don't"

Izaya turned to Shinra "What? I'm just going over to say hi"

Shinra frowned at him "Be nice"

Izaya grinned "I am nice"

"To us"

Izaya chuckled "What are you talking about? I'm nice to everyone" Shinra sighed. "So can I go play with him now?"

Shinra let go of his hand and pointed a finger accusingly "Be nice"

Izaya waved hand dismissively "All right all right" Izaya made his way over to where his other friend was seemingly trying to have a conversation. He skipped as he bounced over and jumped onto the bench next to them.

_Kadota's right, Izaya seems to be livelier since we saw Shizuo this morning. I wonder if it's because of Shizuo's uniqueness._

Izaya balanced himself as he walked across the thin bench, grinning as he spun around toward the two. Kadota shook his head, warning Izaya not to say anything annoying with his stern glare. Shizuo sat up immediately upon seeing the raven. Not trusting him one bit while he looked this unguarded. Izaya smirked his way and then jumped off the bench, hands in his pockets. He tensed a little when he remembered that Shinra had his knife, but he brushed it off. "So~" Izaya splayed out his arms. "What brings you over to this neck of the woods? And so late in the first term hmm?"

Shizuo growled "You know damn well already!"

Izaya chuckled "I just wanted to give you a chance to say for yourself. So, it's true then"

Kadota tried to smile at Shizuo, steering the conversation in another direction "So. You into sports man?"

Izaya laughed "Javeline. Shotput"

Kadota winced and sent a glare at Izaya, the raven smiled innocently at him.

"The hell does that mean runt!?" Shizuo yelled, clenching his fists

Izaya grinned at him and picked up an invisible object and pretended to launch it. "Of course. You prefer much larger objects, like goal posts, and field lights"

Shizuo's eyes seemed to widen and he sneered before looking away. "You don't know anything!"

Kadota sighed sadly and walked into Shizuo's line of vision before kneeling down "Sorry. But there's a post on our school website, it shows you kind of-"

"Projecting rather large objects at students. Tut tut. Those poor people didn't stand a chance"

"It wasn't like that!"

Izaya stretched his arms up behind his head "Sure looked that way to me"

"Get out of my face! Before I launch you across the roof!"

"Why don't you then, Shizu-chan"

Kadota closed his eyes in frustration "God dammit"

"The hell did you just call me!?"

"Just ignore him Shizuo"

Izaya laughed "You don't like that name?" he smirked "Would you prefer monster instead?"

Kadota span around "Izaya! Will you shut up now!?"

Shizuo leapt from his seat and lunged out for Izaya, the raven jumped back behind the other bench. Kadota grabbed hold of Shizuo before he could reach Izaya. "Get the hell off me! I'm going to pound his face in!"

Izaya chuckled, though he was somewhat startled but the sudden angry blond. "So violent! Don't you have a promise to keep, Or something?"

Shizuo's body stilled in Kadota's not so tight grip "Are you fucking spying on me!?"

"Not really. I just overheard you on the phone actually. So if you pound my face in, won't that mean you broke your promise? As I understand it, and I think I got this right. You've been kicked out of three different schools, let's say for the same thing. And now, fourth time transferring, you made it a definite promise to keep your education with this one. To not lash out or damage the school. Is that close?"

Shizuo growled, yanking away from Kadota and stalking up to Izaya before the other teen could grab him again. Shizuo got right up against the raven's face, towering above him an inch or so. "Stay. away. from. me. I will not hesitate to beat your ass, promise or not"

Izaya grinned up at him "Now. I think your promise means more to you then that. what would Kasuka think if you did?"

Shizuo twitched, his fingers aching to wrap around Izaya's neck and strangle him. "Fuck you. if you want to live, then I suggest you keep your distance" Shizuo stormed away and the two other teens caught the last phrase he muttered before leaving them alone. "Everyone else does"

Izaya sighed, his hands were kind of shaking, but he hadn't been this excited about something in ages. "Now that. was fun"

Kadota glared at him and pulled him over the bench by his shirt. "Are you crazy!? Are you trying to get the shit kicked out of you!? I don't even think I was really holding him back! You're lucky he has good self-restraint"

Izaya clicked his tongue and Kadota let him go. Izaya brushed himself down and shrugged. "Relax. I can handle myself. He wouldn't touch me. Not if he wants to keep his promise"

Kadota shook his head "So that's true then?"

"I overheard his phone conversation. Someone named Kasuka. Probably a good friend, most likely a brother though"

Shinra then came running up to them. "Izaya~" he whined "I said to be nice!"

Izaya grinned "He came at me. I didn't do a thing"

Kadota snorted "Firstly. You called him Shizu-chan. Then you _asked _him if he preferred monster. I actually thought he was going to kill you"

Izaya chuckled and jumped on his back "Naw! Dota-chin wouldn't let that happen! Cause he's so protective!"

Kadota growled up at him "Hey! Get off"

Shinra laughed along with Izaya as the two begun to tease him.

Over the next week, the three teens had noticed that Shizuo was in most of their classes. Kadota had begun to approach him more, trying to mend some bad first impressions that his nuisance of a friend had created. He and Shizuo shared Math together, while they shared most of their other lessons as a whole. Shizuo had somewhat become accustomed to Kadota and Shinra, they seemed to be the only two who were willing to approach him without trying to annoy him. He clocked on to what they were doing during Phys ed one day. He knew they were trying to be friends with him, for that, he didn't mind, it was a nice change to what he was used to. However, they also tried to get him to see a better side to their other friend, and Shizuo tried to ignore them. It was hard to ignore them, and a couple of times, Shizuo found himself thinking maybe they were right. Shinra would often try to tell him the story of how he and Izaya met, that Izaya had actually protected him from the 'bullies' Shizuo seemed to respond to that, and that's when he decided not to retaliate back the next time Izaya got on his nerves. Unfortunately, it seemed that Izaya had made it his life's goal to intentionally get him angry, enough so that he might break his promise. Shizuo didn't know why, and he refused to rise to the bait, the raven would not win.

Shizuo was sat in his chair, trying his hardest to pay attention to what the teacher was talking about. His chosen subject was art. He wasn't particularly fond of the history in it, but an extracurricular was always good to have for grades, and it was the easiest to understand-most of the time, he had chosen it in the three schools he'd tried. However, this was the first time that he truly hated the class, it had to be his luck that the one extra class he'd chosen, he had to share with Izaya. Of all the classes! Why the hell did he have to choose this one? Of course, Shizuo knew it wasn't really Izaya's fault, since Shizuo had gotten here late, so it would make sense that Izaya was already in this class anyway.

"Art is a lie, that makes us realize the truth. Who can name the famous artist that said such a quote" The older woman peered down at the register, it seemed as though she should know everyone's names by now, so Shizuo would wager a guess she was looking up his. "…let's see. Heiwajima?"

_God dammit. How the hell should I know? _Shizuo gritted his teeth, trying his damn hardest to ignore the constant kicking that thudded the back of his chair.

"Shizu-chan…" Izaya whispered, Shizuo clenched his fists, he was so going to punch him soon. "Shizu-chan" Shizuo closed his eyes. "Want some help?"

_Please just let me get through this class without dropping my desk on his fucking head. _

"Shizu-chan~"

Shizuo shut his eyes _don't rise to it, stay calm, don't lash out _

"Heiwajima!"

Shizuo's eyes snapped open, and before he realised who had called his name he yelled "What!?"

Izaya smirked

"Excuse me young man?"

Shizuo blinked when he finally caught on. "Err…sorry. I didn't mean to- I don't know the answer"

"Another outburst and you will serve detention"

Shizuo relented "Yes Ma'am"

Once the teacher moved on, Shizuo gritted his teeth and span around in his chair. "That was your fault!" he whispered

Izaya smiled innocently at him "What did I do? I was only asking if you wanted some help"

Shizuo narrowed his eyes "You knew damn well what you were doing"

Izaya sighed "Lighten up" Izaya smirked again when he kicked the back of Shizuo's chair again.

"Kick the back of my chair again and I will throw you out of the window"

"Fine"

Shizuo turned back to the front to see the teacher handing a pile of papers to each of the students at the front. "Pass one of these sheets to the person behind you and fill out the questions for the rest of the lesson" the sheets were passed down and Shizuo took his and then slammed the sheet behind him on Izaya's desk.

"Why thank you Shizu-chan. If that were me, I'd have kept yours" Izaya chuckled

"If I had my way. I'd have made you swallow it"

"Too bad"

Silence ensued in the room as students began answering their questions.

Izaya glanced up at the clock with a grin, ten minutes to spare. _Ten minutes to annoy Shizu-chan some more _Izaya was about to throw an eraser at his head, but something stopped him. Shizuo seemed to be having a lot of difficulty with the sheet, if the hands clutching his head was anything to go by. Izaya rolled his eyes, not understanding the reason why he suddenly wanted to help the blond. "Shizu-chan" Izaya whispered

"Don't fucking talk to me" Izaya sighed and kicked his chair harshly, Shizuo gritted his teeth and whipped round, his eyes wide with anger, it took all he had to keep his voice down. "What!?"

"Give me your sheet" Izaya said calmly without rebuke.

"What? Why? So you can sabotage it?"

Izaya smirked, _there's an idea _he shook his head, _maybe another time _"I was going to help you"

"Right. Sure. Cause you're all about that"

"I'm not going to sabotage it. do you want my help or not?" Shizuo reached over and grabbed his work sheet. He placed it on Izaya's desk. The raven looked down at it and raised an eyebrow. "You haven't answered any of them"

Shizuo let his head thud against the back of his chair "The names confuse me. And I get mixed up between the different types of art"

"Well maybe if you stayed put more often you might actually learn something"

Shizuo growled and snatched the paper back "Maybe I would if dickheads like you stopped pissing me off" Shizuo glared at him before turning back around

_But it's so fun _Izaya couldn't believe that he had actually enjoyed their little interactions. Izaya knew he was an asshole sometimes, but Shizuo was too short-tempered to see anything but. In the small time that they'd spoke _civilly _Izaya found himself wondering if maybe they could become sort of friends, or at the very least, could get along. The bell rang to signal the end of class, and Shizuo thudded his head against the desk. The teacher moved quickly to gather up the student's sheets. She got to Shizuo and before the blond could say anything she scooped up his worksheet.

"Wait-"

The teacher nodded her approval as she wrote his name on the paper. "That's great work Heiwajima. More than makes up for your outburst earlier" Shizuo blinked up at her in confusion.

"Wha….?" He had no idea what she was talking about, but hell, he was off the hook.

The teacher took the sheet from Izaya's desk and frowned "Is there a reason why you didn't even answer one of these questions, Orihara?" Shizuo suddenly became even more confused, he could have sworn that Izaya had finished every single question. Then it became clear. Shizuo's eyes widened, had he just-

Izaya smiled up at her "Ne. sorry. My hand was irritating me, I couldn't hold the pen properly. I was going to inform you, but I didn't want to bother the other students"

Shizuo rolled his eyes _you're so full of shit _

"I can answer the questions now since I have a free period"

_No way is she going to go for that_

"Well. I know your hands were in bandages a few weeks ago. And you are one of my top students in this class"

_Smartass _

"So just answer me the last one and I'll let it slide"

Izaya glanced at the question to refresh his memory of it. "An art form is an interplay; the way poetry, sculpture, music and painting relate to each other. They wrote poems in response to paintings" he tried to make his answer sound less like his original answer, which was more in depth.

The teacher smiled, satisfied with his answer. "I expected nothing less. It seems you and Shizuo have similar knowledge of this lesson, perhaps you could learn from each other" the teacher walked away and Izaya stood up.

Shizuo followed after him as they left their class. "Oi. Why did you do that?"

Izaya turned around to meet his gaze in the corridor "Do what?"

"I know you switched our sheets"

Izaya laughed "I can't believe I switched with someone that couldn't even answer one question. It's a good thing I'm smart"

Shizuo frowned "You don't have to be an asshole about it. I didn't ask you to"

Izaya shrugged "You're welcome" he said with a smirk and walked away

"I didn't say thank you!" Shizuo glared at his retreating form "I hate him"

Phys Ed. End period

Shinra, Kadota and Shizuo were stretching for their laps, along with several other students, they were spread out in their preferred group of friends. "I've noticed, that the flea doesn't show up here, to which I'm not at all complaining about"

Kadota laughed "The flea?"

Shizuo chuckled "Oh. Yeah. well, I figured that he's annoying, something you can't get rid of that easily, or ever. So…" Shizuo shrugged "Flea"

Kadota raised his arms up and curled one down over his shoulder. "Well. To be honest. Izaya used to come to the class all the time. Only recently, probably around four weeks ago, did he stop coming"

"Izaya has his reasons for not coming here" Shinra said with a smile as he sat on the grass, stretching out his legs, his friends then followed suit.

"I gotta give my personal opinion on something" Shizuo said

Kadota smiled "I wouldn't bother trying to rebuke their friendship if I were you Shizuo"

Shizuo twisted his body side to side slowly "Not my style. But it is about him"

Shinra leant on his palms "What do you wanna know?"

"Well. It's not really a question. More like an observation. And if I'm wrong, then my bad"

"O-ok"

Shizuo looked at him, legs crossed "Do you- like him?"

Shinra suddenly choked on the water he'd started to drink. "What?"

"I think you like him. Not just as a friend"

Kadota suddenly laughed "Finally! I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks that. Can't believe it, but I didn't think Shizuo would notice, no offence, but we've only known you for a week"

Shizuo shrugged "Just something I picked up on"

Shinra paled "You two are crazy! Izaya is just a good friend. I'm not even- Kadota, how long have you thought this?"

Kadota shrugged "Not really all that long. around two weeks, I guess"

"Two weeks!?"

"Around the time you guys had that argument. Although, I had my suspicions before that"

Shizuo didn't know what they were talking about, but he shrugged. "S'not a big deal. I don't care if you're that way. Though I gotta be honest, you can do a lot better"

Shinra pouted "Hey!"

Shizuo laughed "Deny it all you want anyway. But if I noticed, it's gotta be true, I'm not all that observant"

"But-"

"Shinra. It makes sense" Kadota said "You always smile when he's around you. you let him eat your food. Your eyes get all excited when he walks into class. You spent the entire school week break at his house"

Shinra raised his finger "That doesn't count. I had to be there; you know that"

Kadota nodded, understanding. "All right. Maybe so. But all the other stuff counts"

Shinra shook his head vigorously "Not true"

"So what's with him not coming to this class anymore? Does this have something to do with his hands?" Shinra and Kadota blinked at him "Today in art. The teacher mentioned something about his hands being bandaged. Since he doesn't come here, I thought that maybe he was injured during class"

Kadota shook his head "Not even close. I actually don't know the reason"

Shizuo looked at Shinra "I bet you do"

Shinra smiled but shrugged "I do. But I made a promise not to say anything"

Shizuo nodded, he didn't really care, just curious.

"It's too bad really" Kadota said "Izaya was a good athlete, he'd outrun anyone here"

"Is there anything that flea doesn't fucking excel in?"

Kadota laughed "You shouldn't be jealous man"

"I'm not jealous!"

Shinra flinched, still not used to Shizuo's temper, often wondering if he might throw something at them. "Well. His personality could use an adjustment" Shinra teased

Shizuo snorted and grinned as he lay across the grass. "Can say that again" A breeze overtook the field, blowing through the blades of grass. "You know. before I got kicked out. The school tried to get me to acknowledge my athletic stamina. I don't know whether they were just teasing, but they always used to say I was a fast runner"

"Is that so?" the three teens turn behind them at the voice. Izaya was stood there, sporting a long sleeved navy blue shirt and knee length white shorts with two blue stripes on either side of the leg.

Shinra couldn't help but jump up, happy that his friend was here. "Izaya! You showed up today! That's great" Shinra ran up to him, embracing an arm around his shoulder. Izaya ignored him, staring intently at Shizuo, but he didn't pull away from his friend, aware that Shinra was happy he was here after so long.

Shizuo stood up, glaring, wondering what the hell Izaya was up to. "I thought you didn't come here anymore. It was one class I was actually happy about attending. Since you weren't in it"

Izaya shook his head. "Tut. That's not very polite now, is it? after all, I saved your ass in art today" the raven smirked at him and Shizuo clenched his fists

Kadota and Shinra looked to him for an explanation, but Shizuo ignored them and bellowed back at Izaya. "I didn't ask you to asshole! Now tell me why the hell you're here"

Izaya chuckled, finding Shizuo's short temper highly amusing. "I was curious actually. Someone of your 'unique' abilities, might be interesting to watch"

"I'm not a damn freak show!"

Izaya shrugged "I didn't say that. I said it might simply be interesting to see your skills. You're the one putting words in my mouth"

Kadota sighed, why did Izaya have to get him angry all the time? He stepped between them to stop what might become a fight on the field. "Knock it off. What happened in art?"

Shizuo growled and turned away from them, arms folded in an attempt to hide his anger. "Nothing"

Izaya chuckled "Something"

Shinra looked between them, he then sat down again "So what happened?"

"We were given a work sheet and-"

Shizuo whipped round "All right!" he interrupted "I had difficulty with the questions, I couldn't answer them all"

Izaya raised a finger "Correction. You _didn't _answer _any of them_"

Shizuo glared at him "Fine" he gritted his teeth "Izaya offered to help. I knew it was probably to mess with me, and I was right, he pissed me off, so I snatched my sheet back. Only when the teacher came over to collect our work, I realised-" Shinra's and Kadota's eyes widened in surprise when Shizuo finished his sentence. They looked over at Izaya.

"Whatever. I couldn't let someone _that _stupid be seen with me"

Shizuo clenched his fists "You arrogant-!"

Kadota stepped in his way "Wait!" Shizuo halted, glaring daggers at Izaya "He's joking Shizuo. Honestly"

"You're so dead flea!"

Shinra sighed and stood up. "Izaya. You know that's not true. Shizuo, he really is joking, Izaya doesn't belittle anyone else's education"

Izaya rolled his eyes, it was hard to tease Shizuo when Shinra and Kadota told the truth about him. _Spilling my true personality. How rude of them_

Shizuo didn't falter in his anger but made no other attempts to advance on the raven, so Kadota backed off. "Then why the hell did you really help me!?"

Izaya just smirked at him. "Because I knew you'd think I had an ulterior motive. Teasing you is fun; I want to know how far I can push before you snap completely"

Shizuo yelled angrily "I fucking hate you!"

Izaya clicked his tongue. He was so quick tempered. "All right. Let's make a deal" he suddenly said.

Shizuo folded his arms "Why would I make a deal with you?"

"Because, you ill-tempered monster. It will benefit you"

Shizuo narrowed his eyes and tensed at the name mentioned. "Spit it out. If I don't like it. you're dead"

Izaya rolled his eyes. "Tst" he walked past Shinra, and Kadota stepped to the side, Izaya stood right in front of the blond, grinning up at him. "There's a track that runs 400 hundred metres from this exact spot. If you can beat me in a race, I'll stop trying to get you kicked out"

Shizuo unfolded his arms, that offer was incredibly tempting, then he scowled "And what if you win?"

Izaya laughed at the blond's hesitation "Don't be so worried"

"I'm not worried!"

Izaya grinned "If I win. You tell me the real reason why they call you monster"

Shizuo clenched his fists "That's your deal!? Hell no! I'm not telling you something else for you to piss me off with, or to use against me"

Izaya's smirked deepened "Then you better not lose"

Shinra and Kadota could only watch the conversation take place. It might benefit them, to not have Izaya provoking their new friend every five minutes, providing Shizuo won of course. They knew the raven would keep to his word if Shizuo did win. They found Shizuo's end of the deal a bit random though, why would Izaya want to know that? and what made him think there was another reason, other than Shizuo's unnatural strength.

Nevertheless, the two stood beside one another, each of them inside a running track at the beginning of the chalk line. Izaya and Shizuo knelt down, positioning themselves in a runner's pose.

"All right students, enough warm up, lets-"

"Whoa. Coach. Look, Orihara and that Heiwajima guy are racing" a student said before the teacher could finish.

The coach looked up with surprise "Izaya's back?" he watched as both the students ran with amazing speed. He knew Izaya was fast, but damn, the raven was even better when he was against competition. The coach smiled, and he really was against competition, Shizuo was almost on par with him. Pretty soon, everyone had stopped to watch the race, cheering and shouting.

Shinra and Kadota watched with awe. The two of them were awesome. "He's totally back. Isn't he?" Shinra said with a huge smile on his face

Kadota looked at him, shaking his head with a smile, Shinra really did like him. Kadota nodded. "Yeah. I think so"

"Izayaaa! You're not gonna win!"

Izaya laughed, glancing behind him, just to see Shizuo inches away, he grinned and pushed himself a little more forward until he crossed the finish line, Shizuo seconds after him. They could hear the cheering in the distance behind them but chose to ignore it. Izaya leaned over, hands on his knees, breathing heavily. Shizuo sat down and collapsed on his back. "Damn it. you're fucking fast flea"

Izaya laughed breathlessly and sat down, for a moment, it felt as though they were actually friends. "I knew I'd win" Izaya leaned back on his palms, the wind cooling his skin. Shizuo snorted and sat up, looking at Izaya who was now looking up at the sky, with him as he was now, Shizuo didn't feel angry. "So. I won" Izaya looked over at him. "Why do they call you monster?"

Shizuo narrowed his eyes. Damn it. now he was angry again, how the hell could Izaya switch him like that in seconds? "Is that all you care about!?"

"A deal is a deal. Shizu-chan"

Shizuo stood up with clenched fists "Don't call me that! and don't call me monster, you fucking louse!"

Izaya stood up calmly, unfazed by the blond's anger, he simply grinned. "You would have expected me to keep my part of the deal, no?"

Shizuo growled "Yes. But doubtful you would anyway"

Izaya shrugged "Think whatever you want. But you lost, so you'll never know anyway. You might as well tell me"

Shinra tilted his head "Any idea what they're saying?"

Kadota scratched his head "Well. I can tell that Shizuo's yelling, no punches thrown yet though"

"What do you think Izaya meant by his question?"

"I have no idea. And if you don't know, then I have no clue"

Izaya's hands were on his hips and then he slumped in defeat. "Whatever" he then walked over toward a bench where a large drinking fountain was perched. Shizuo glared at him, following his movements and then stalked after him. Izaya ducked his head under the faucet and splashed his face, he then drank some before coming back up to meet the blond's gaze. Shizuo held out a towel to him. "You're articulating a nice gesture?"

Shizuo clenched his hand around the towel, resisting the urge to strangle him with it. "Fucking take it already"

Izaya chuckled and took the offered material, he wiped his face and then sat down on the bench. "You know. Shinra and Dota-chin are right. I'm really not all that bad"

Shizuo snorted but sat down next to him. "Then stop being an asshole"

Izaya smiled at him "You just get so angry too easily. It's too much fun not to piss you off"

Shizuo looked away from him, trying so damn hard not to get angry. "Shut up"

Izaya laughed again "Honestly. You should try and lighten up. Dota-chin just takes it with a pinch of salt. He'll get annoyed and most of the time he'll ignore me"

Shizuo snapped his head back "I can't do that! it's not my fault!"

"Shizu-chan. Haven't you ever had friends before? Friends tease each other. No need to get so angry about it"

Shizuo ignored the friends' statement, refusing to believe he could ever be friends with Izaya. But…. Shizuo looked down at the ground. "I've not been near anyone long enough to make friends"

Izaya looked at him and then chuckled "If it makes you feel any better. Shinra and Dota-chin are the first real friends I've had"

Shizuo looked up at him, somewhat surprised Izaya had admitted that, yet not all that surprised by the statement. He laughed. "Well that doesn't surprise me"

Izaya frowned at him but caught the grin and realised it was Shizuo's attempts at teasing. "So. You can bite back without looking like you want to murder me after all"

Shizuo sighed "I don't _want _to kill you Izaya. That's just a figure of speech. I do want to kick your ass sometimes. But that's about it. you shouldn't piss me off so much"

"Like I said. Lighten up"

Shinra stepped forward "Class is over. don't they realise that? maybe we should let them know" Kadota grabbed Shinra's wrist.

"Leave them. For once, they're getting along, we should let them talk"

Shinra looked at Kadota and then back at the two in the distance "Think so? I mean, Shizuo was yelling earlier"

"And now he's not. Don't worry about it. let's go, we'll see them tomorrow"

"But-" Kadota grabbed Shinra's collar and dragged him away toward the school.

"You still haven't answered my question" Izaya said

Shizuo hunched over, his hands dangling between his knees. "Doesn't matter anyway. You're gonna piss me off to the point I'll get kicked out, so that should be enough"

Izaya frowned. Shizuo really didn't trust him at all, did he? Not that he'd given him a reason to. The raven sighed as he stood up. "All right. Forget the race"

Shizuo looked up "Huh?"

Izaya turned to him. "Answer my question. I won't do anything to get you kicked out"

Shizuo frowned "You've got to be kidding right? A deal is a deal. You said so yourself, I lost"

"Didn't I just say to forget about the race? I won't sabotage your promise. Other people might. But it won't be me"

"It doesn't matter. I lost anyway, so I don't have a choice"

Izaya turned to leave "Then don't tell me. Good race by the way" Izaya waved a hand behind him "See you tomorrow. Shizu-chan"

Shizuo watched him walk away. It was strange to have a conversation with him, one that didn't get him pissed off. Shizuo didn't trust him, but now Izaya had given him a choice, and for some reason, he wanted to tell him. "Izaya wait!"

The raven stopped and turned to Shizuo as the blond ran up to him. "What? I do have a home to go to you know"

Shizuo looked down at the ground. Shuffling his feet. "About being called a monster. It's because…" Shizuo clenched his fists. "You're going to think I'm crazy"

Izaya folded his arms "There's not a whole lot you can tell me that I'd be surprised about"

Shizuo looked to the side "I'm possessed"

Izaya blinked, "And I was wrong"

Shizuo looked up at him, eyes narrowing "It's true! A demon possesses me! I didn't believe them at first. But they're right….I'm cursed, I'm a monster"

Izaya didn't say anything at first, his arms unfolded and remained at his sides. _He really believes it, that a demon is possessing him _Izaya suddenly burst out laughing.

Shizuo growled "Stop laughing! You have no idea! I'm not lying! I knew that by telling you, you'd just treat it like a joke" Shizuo stormed away.

Izaya calmed his laughing, wiping away tears of amusement. "Shizu-chan! I wasn't laughing at you!" he couldn't help it. when Shizuo spoke, he just couldn't help himself, he hadn't expected that answer at all. "Shizu-chan!" Izaya sighed with a grin. No use catching up to him now. "Absolute moron. If he were possessed by a demon, then I'd definitely know it"


	7. Hate Monday's

Kadota walked with his hands in his pocket toward the school, it was strange, everyone hated Monday's, for the pure fact that they had to wait so long for the weekend to come. Kadota felt differently, in his opinion, Monday's were a beginning, a fresh start to the week. Whatever happened last week, or over the weekend, didn't matter, the week began again, and it was a fresh start. That's how Kadota felt, he glanced over at his friends, Izaya and Shinra were quiet it seemed, pondering on their own thoughts about what was said or done the Friday before. Clearly, the same couldn't be said for them, Monday's were not a favourite of theirs either. He could make a guess about what Shinra was thinking, and he had to laugh, Shizuo hit the nail on the head with that one, Kadota didn't have the heart to tell him what he thought; but Shizuo? Ha! He didn't care whether people wanted his opinion or not. In all honesty, he wondered if Shinra was even aware of his crush, or whatever feelings he had for their raven friend, well, he certainly did now.

Izaya was looking at the ground, one hand holding his bag slung over his shoulder, the other in his pocket. Kadota had no idea what he was thinking about, but that small smirk on his face told him that he wouldn't like it. as they neared the school's entrance, Kadota spotted their other friend and raised his hand to catch his attention. "Shizuo!" he shouted, the blond stopped and gave him a smile and a wave; but as soon as he noticed the shorter male in the group he growled. Izaya smirked at him and Shizuo gritted his teeth and stormed into the school. Kadota blinked at his sudden retreating form and then looked over at Izaya. "What was that about?"

Izaya chuckled, he knew exactly why Shizuo was avoiding them, or rather, him. He had yet to tell his friends what the blond had told him, and he found that he didn't want to. "I have no idea, but then again, it's not all that surprising, the monster is somewhat unpredictable, one minute he's calm and then the next he wants to crush you with a heavy object"

Kadota sighed irritably, shoving Izaya's arm "Don't be a dick to him. I thought you guys were thinking about getting along after that race on Friday. Did something happen after that?"

"He's not so easily won over. besides, who's to say I even want his friendship?" Izaya opened his locker, switched his shoes and placed his bag inside. His two friends following suit, Shizuo already nowhere in sight, they then began to make their way up the stairs.

"Does this mean you're still trying to piss off Shizuo so that he gets kicked out?" Shinra asked as they made their way to homeroom. "Because, you know, that's really not very nice"

Kadota placed his hand across the doorway, stopping Izaya from entering. "He's already been through enough crap, he wants to make this work, don't antagonise him"

Izaya looked at Kadota, the boy was serious, the raven suddenly laughed. "Naw Dota-chin. You don't have to worry about me, I know how to take care of myself"

Kadota groaned in annoyance, his face slightly befuddled "I wasn't- I was talking about Shizuo!" Izaya waved his hand dismissively as he ducked under Kadota's arm, entering the classroom. "God damn it"

Shinra laughed "He knew exactly what you were talking about you know"

Kadota looked at him, removing his arm from the doorway, stepping to the side slightly to allow other students to enter. "Figures. I suppose on some level I was telling him to be careful. We don't know the extent of Shizuo's strength. But in any case, Shizuo doesn't deserve Izaya's taunts, he's a good person"

Shinra nodded "I know. but, I don't think he'll try and get him kicked out anymore"

Kadota snorted "Yeah right. He tell you that?"

Shinra shook his head "No. but I could tell. Izaya has a way of telling people the truth by steering it in another direction. Like how he just said you were worried about him? Even though that's not what you said"

Kadota blinked "I'm not even going to pretend to understand what you just said. I'm just going to take your word for it"

Shinra nodded with a smile "Ok"

Shizuo glared as Izaya smirked at him from his seat. He'd done nothing but, since the start of the school day. _I knew I shouldn't have said anything, he thinks the whole damn thing is hilarious! But I'm not joking around, he wouldn't think it's funny when I suddenly snap and kick his scrawny ass!_

Kadota and Shinra took their seats next to Izaya, Shizuo's seat was on the other side. "Izaya. Would you stop grinning at him? You know how annoyed he gets" Kadota said, his friend was insufferable sometimes.

Izaya laughed "It's so fun though"

Once homeroom was over, the students made their way to their designated math classes. Shizuo sighed in relief, one of the only classes where that annoying flea wasn't with him. "One day. I'm going to punch that smirk right off his face" Shizuo muttered loudly, verbally expressing his thoughts.

"Huh?" Kadota grunted as they sat down in their seats. It was then Kadota knew who Shizuo was talking about, he sighed. "You really shouldn't let him get to you. what exactly happened after we left? I mean, I know you lost the race, does that mean you told him about this whole monster thing?"

Shizuo nodded, like he had a choice- wait, no. he did have a choice, didn't he? "Actually. He said I didn't have to. That it was my decision. He also said he wouldn't try and get me kicked out anymore"

Kadota blinked in surprise "He did?"

Shizuo snorted "Like I fucking believe him. If that's so, then why is he irritating me so damn much!" Shizuo slammed his hand on the desk, a few students jumped in fear.

Kadota placed a hand on his shoulder "Calm down. Did he really say that?"

"Yes. Who the hell knows why"

Kadota looked down in thought "So, despite the fact that he called the bet off, and gave you a choice whether you told him, you chose for yourself to tell him?"

Shizuo nodded "Yes"

Kadota smiled "Then he probably is telling the truth"

"What do you mean?"

"You trusted him of your own free will. He was probably testing you"

Instead of being relieved, Shizuo got more annoyed "Are you fucking kidding me!?"

Kadota wasn't fazed by his sudden anger, he found that doing so, was what caused Shizuo to feel unapproachable in the first place. He smiled. "I know. it's his way of determining someone's friendship"

"I don't want his friendship! Who fucking does that!?"

Kadota tilted his head with a slight chuckle "Izaya"

Shizuo growled and clenched his fists "He played me"

"Whoa. I doubt that's what he was doing. Don't overreact about this. He obviously knew something was up, and for you to tell him, must have meant that you trusted him on some level. Izaya is- he's got- let's just say he has a great deal of intuition. I know a lot of people call you monster; he knew there must be another reason. What was it? you can tell me you know"

Shizuo sighed sadly, he wanted to, but he didn't want to be laughed at, again! "Sorry…"

Kadota shrugged "It's cool. You don't have to. I guess it's pretty hard to talk about, but you told him at least. If you're worried about him using that to get to you, you don't have to be. He'll respect that because you trusted him"

Shizuo looked at him, something akin to hope in his eyes "Is that really the truth?"

Kadota nodded "If I know him as well as I think I do" he then laughed "Well, I know him enough. Not as well as Shinra does"

Shizuo chuckled "The hell does he see in an asshole like him anyway"

Kadota shrugged and leaned back on his chair "Their friendship is pretty impressive. Shinra is the only one Izaya will truly open up to"

"He doesn't strike me as the type to let his guard down like that"

Kadota smiled "That's because all you've seen is the annoying side of him. Truthfully, he's a good friend, and he gets scared, excited, angry… all the normal things he doesn't let just anyone see"

Shizuo stared toward the front of the class, the teacher finally showed, and they stood up, they bowed and returned to their seats. _Should I give him a chance? _Shizuo's thoughts were on Izaya all through math, he had no reason to doubt Kadota's words, his new friend had been nothing but generally nice to him and treated him like he was normal. Unlike Izaya. Even the thought of that sent him raging. But. Shizuo believed Kadota, and Shinra had done nothing but defend Izaya too. Maybe, maybe he should try to see the side they saw. If he did, then he might be less inclined to beat the shit out of him. _Kadota said that he wouldn't use what I told him to mess with me, maybe he's right. _

After Math, the four teens were back into the same class again for history. Shizuo didn't mind history so much, but like art, he got confused on the dates and names. He growled angrily, but not because he was annoyed with his work, they were just reading for now, but he'd read the same passage at least three times due to distraction. Who was distracting him? The person that kept flicking balls of paper at his head, that kept kicking his chair and poking his neck. Before it could happen again, Shizuo reached over his head and grabbed the hand before that same hand could poke him again. He grinned when a little surprised squeak sounded behind him. He turned around, hand still in his grip as he stared intensely at the cause of his distraction. Izaya Orihara.

"Shizu-chan. Mind letting me go?"

"Not a chance. Stop kicking my chair flea"

Izaya grinned and shifted his foot and kicked hard, Shizuo's chair actually moved slightly. Izaya laughed and then winced as Shizuo's grip tightened. "Ow. Shizu-chan let go"

"Stop. Kicking. My. Chair"

Izaya couldn't help but keep his grin, Shizuo was just so funny. "You know, my fingers are going numb"

"Poke my neck one more time, and I will break your fingers"

Izaya smiled innocently at him "Ok"

Shizuo glared at him but eventually let go, Izaya flexed his hand, getting the feeling back in them. Shizuo turned back to his textbook. Izaya was about to lift his foot again, when a ball of paper landed on his desk. He opened it up and read 'stop annoying him, or I will let him pound you' Izaya glanced over at Kadota and huffed with a pout, placing his foot back down under his own chair. _Spoil sport _

Shizuo growled angrily, damn it he was so pissed off. That whole lesson was incredibly frustrating! Izaya just wouldn't leave him alone! What the hell was his problem? If he really didn't want to get him kicked out of school, then what was his game!? He was going to lose it soon or later….he didn't want to, but damn it, the raven knew how damn easy it was to get under his skin. Shizuo clenched his fists. He promised Kasuka. He promised him. _Calm down _he thought _I just need to calm down _mauling over Kadota's words to him in Math helped, they always did whenever he found himself really angry at Izaya. He promised himself he'd try, but he didn't know how since every time they were in the same room, Izaya was finding some way to annoy him. Maybe it would help if they were alone? A slither of the side that Shinra and Kadota were talking about, slipped out when they were alone after Phys ed ended. _Maybe he just acts out when there's more people around, maybe he gets nervous if other people are around to see what kind of person he really is. _Shizuo could relate to that in a way. Shizuo was always afraid people would see him for who he truly was, except _his _true self was a-

"Possessed demon" Shizuo blinked, a voice interrupting his thoughts. He was hidden behind a wall on the roof, he had a free period, so he chose to calm himself down by coming up here to relax. He listened closely. "It's true. He's possessed by a demon, someone told me about it. it makes sense, that crazy strength of his, what a freak"

"Wow. Scary. He should go to an exorcism or something"

Shizuo's blood boiled with rage, with every word coming out of their mouths.

"Ha ha ha. It's just a rumour I suppose, but, it could be true. He's a possessed demon freak!"

Shizuo clenched his fists, his mind going black as he saw red.

"Who told you anyway?"

"It was-"

"Izayaaaa!" Izaya, Shinra and Kadota stopped walking as they turned to the loud voice in the corridor. Their eyes wide as Shizuo was storming toward them, a wooden desk held over his head. "You're so fucking dead!"

The other students in the corridor scrambled away into the nearest classrooms. Kadota stepped forward slightly, holding out his hands. "Whoa! Shizuo! Wait, calm down! What's wrong?"

Shizuo growled loudly and screamed "Ask him! I knew you couldn't be fucking trusted!"

Izaya sneered "What are you talking about monster?"

Shizuo grew even more angry and swung the desk, Kadota ducked out of the way and Shinra was pushed to the ground by Izaya who jumped to the side. The desk splintered apart on the floor. Kadota knew he was in no way shape or form to stop him now, he frowned and shouted "Izaya run!" Izaya glanced back at Shizuo, the blond was fuming, but he could see the glare of tears in his hate filled eyes. Shizuo stormed after him. "Run dammit!"

Izaya took off running, he didn't have a clue why Shizuo was so angry with him, what had he done? Izaya ducked into an empty classroom and jumped onto a desk, spinning around to see a chair come hurdling toward him. Izaya jumped off the desk as the chair smashed into it. "Shizuo!" Izaya shouted, trying to get through. He jumped out of the way as another desk was thrown his way, it smashed into the wall behind him. "What the fuck is wrong with you!?" Izaya dodged a fist and skidded across the floor in an effort to keep his distance from the blond. He crawled across the floor and slipped under a desk, he pushed the desk up and managed to smack Shizuo in the face with it. Shizuo stumbled back for a moment, which gave Izaya time to get to his feet. Shizuo clenched his fists, he grabbed a chair and swung it for Izaya. The raven's eyes widened, and he ducked in time, the chair smashed through the window.

Shinra and Kadota watched in horror, unable to do anything to help, knowing full well they'd get caught in the crossfire. "Izaya! What did you do!?" Kadota shouted

Izaya glanced over to his friends "I don't know!" Shizuo jumped over a fallen desk, reaching to grab Izaya's shirt. Izaya jumped back and weaved in between the untouched desks until he reached the wall. He span around, his back turned, now he was cornered. "Shizuo! What did I do!?" he was frantic now, he hadn't seen Shizuo this angry at him, he'd seen him like this, but only in video clips online, never had he been on the receiving end of that rage. Shizuo picked up a desk, holding it above his head. Izaya stared up at him, fear evident on his face.

Kadota and Shinra stared in shock "H-He really doesn't know" Kadota stammered and ran into the classroom. Izaya clenched his eyes shut as Shizuo brought the desk down toward him. "Shizuo stop!" Shizuo's eyes widened and he stopped inches from Kadota's face, breathing heavily.

"Kadota?"

"This isn't worth anything! Whatever he's done isn't worth breaking your promise over!"

Shizuo growled "He's a fucking liar! He's manipulative and he can't be trusted!"

Izaya frowned, leaning against the wall "Shizu-chan…"

"Don't fucking talk to me! I hate you!" Shizuo threw the desk to one side, despite his anger, he couldn't hurt Kadota just to get to Izaya. "Don't ever come near me again, or I will hurt you"

Izaya narrowed his eyes, standing straight and moved to stand beside Kadota. "At least tell me why. You want to kill me? Fine, But tell me why"

Shizuo clenched his fists "I told you what I did because for some reason, I thought it might help! I thought for a tiny second you could be trusted! I was wrong! You told people for your own amusement!"

Izaya clenched his own fists, so that was it. "So what if I did?"

Kadota twitched and turned to Izaya "You did!?"

Izaya sneered and then grinned "What did you expect? We're not friends. Why would I keep anything you say to myself?"

Shizuo grabbed Izaya's shirt, pulling him in and raising his fist, Kadota didn't even want to stop him- "Heiwajima! Orihara! What the hell is going on in here!?" Shizuo snapped out of it, they turn their attention to the door, it was their principal. Shizuo shoved Izaya away, the raven glared but straightened himself. "You have got some serious explaining to do after School! Heiwajima, I'm very aware of your destructive behaviour, I would have thought by now you would learn some restraint!" Shizuo clenched his fists, glaring at the floor. That was it. he'd broken his promise…. "You will be here in this room after school and clear up all this mess!"

Shizuo snapped his head up and blinked "I'm…I'm not expelled?"

The older man frowned "I should expel you. but, Kishitani has spoken to me with an idea. I'm going to give you one more chance" Shizuo felt relief flood through him, he looked behind and saw Shinra smile a little at him. He owed him for this. The principal then turned to Izaya. "And you. Orihara. I expected a lot better from you. You're a top student, your grades are one of the highest in the school"

Izaya grew defensive "I didn't do anything. This monster fucking attacked me!" Shizuo glared at him, clenching his fists.

"You're still involved here. whatever reasons you have for not getting along, I don't care. Don't do it in my school! You will join Heiwajima here after lessons and help clean this room until it's spotless. Understood?"

Izaya frowned and looked away, somewhat defeated. "Yes sir"

Shizuo stormed out of the room before he did anything else stupid. Kadota frowned and glared at Izaya. "I guess I was wrong about you" and then he left, Izaya sighed and then glanced over at Shinra.

Shinra looked at him, unsure what to think. "Did you really do that?" Izaya frowned and pushed past Shinra and out of the door. "Izaya wait!" Shinra looked saddened as he stared after him. "Izaya wouldn't do that…he's not- he's not that cruel"

Shizuo, Shinra and Kadota were on the roof having their lunch. It was a little odd, Izaya wasn't with them, and Shinra found himself staring down at his bento box, the fatty tuna untouched. He glanced at Kadota, the boy looked his way, it appeared he was thinking the same thing as he looked at his own lunch. Shizuo felt the tension and stood up. "Sorry" the two blinked at him. "He should be here with you. not me. He was your friend first, and as much as I can't stand him, I can't be the cause of breaking your friendship. If he's not going to come near you because of me, then I should be the one to go"

Kadota smiled and then stood up, grabbing his arm. "Don't be ridiculous. That's decent of you Shizuo, but you're our friend too. It'll be difficult, but we'll make it work somehow, it's not your fault"

Shinra nodded, still looking at his bento box. "He's right. Don't be so hard on yourself Shizuo"

Shizuo smiled, he'd never had this kind of friendship before. "Thanks" The door to the roof opened and the three glanced behind them, seeing two other students walking over to the benches, they were talking rather loudly. Shinra shifted nervously. "What's up?"

Shinra smiled sheepishly. "It's ok. they're two of the bullies from my old school. You know, the ones that Izaya messed with to stop me from getting beat up"

Shizuo tensed with anger at the mention of the raven's name, but he looked over at the two anyway. "Oh"

"So did Orihara really tell you that story? About you know who being possessed by a demon?" one of them asked the other.

All three friends tuned in to the conversation at the mention of their missing member, Shizuo gritted his teeth. _Fucking flea _

The other student laughed "No! I mean, not exactly, I overheard the conversation between him and the demon on the field last week"

"How come you said that Orihara told you directly?"

The boy smirked "I said he would pay for messing with us. I watched the demon go up on the roof earlier, so I knew he was there. when I told you guys it was Izaya, I figured Heiwajima would hear and go berserk, he'd go after Orihara and we wouldn't have to lift a finger"

"Oh! That's awesome"

Shizuo couldn't believe what he was hearing. A vein began to show on his forehead, and he was clenching his fists so tightly they were turning white.

Kadota and Shinra shared a glance and then looked back at the two other students. They felt incredibly ashamed, that they had really believed Izaya had betrayed Shizuo's trust. Shinra placed his head in his hands. "I can't believe I could even think that" Shinra groaned "I'm the worst friend ever"

Kadota sighed, clapping a hand on Shinra's shoulder "You're not the only one who thought it. question is, why the hell didn't he deny it?" Shizuo growled, his eyes never left the two across from them and up until now, they hadn't even noticed him. Shizuo began making a move toward them. "Shizuo? Oi, leave it. don't get in trouble"

"Bastards!" Shizuo shouted and the two suddenly look up, they paled and scrambled to their feet.

"O-oh…shit. He heard us" one of them said

"I didn't think…he was up here" the other replied

Shizuo grabbed one by his shirt and pulled back his fist, smashing it into his nose. The boy yelled out in pain and was thrown into the fence. Shizuo glared over at the other and punched the boy halfway across the roof. The blond snapped his head back to the other as the boy got to his feet and tried to sneak up on him. Shizuo ducked the feeble punch and head butted him straight in the jaw. He grabbed the boy's collar and pulled him to his face. "You picked the wrong person to mess with. You better scramble away now before I really lose my temper. Believe me, I'm extremely close to launching you off this building"

The two students shook with fear and half ran, half limped their way to the exit and then disappeared. Shizuo screamed out with rage and smashed his fist straight threw a bench. Shinra and Kadota ran up to him. "Damn it!"

Kadota lay his hand on Shizuo's shoulder "Whoa. Calm down"

"I'm. so. Pissed. Off"

Shinra looked toward the exit and then back to his friend. "Well. At least you didn't kill anyone" he laughed nervously

Shizuo glared at him and then slumped with a sigh of frustration. "Because of them, I lost it. I could of- damn it. why the hell didn't he say something?"

Kadota assumed they were talking about Izaya now. "Would you really have believed him? If he simply said it wasn't him?"

Shizuo looked at him "Honestly? No"

Shinra looked down at his feet "That's probably why he just went along with it. there wasn't really any proof it wasn't him so…."

Shizuo growled again "I could have seriously hurt him!" Shizuo kicked the broken bench.

Kadota sighed and motioned for them to head back into the school. "Why don't you talk to him later? You both have to clean up and fix that room at the end of the day. So you can talk to him then"

Shizuo looked away from them "He's not going to want to talk to me after what I did"

Shinra replied then "You didn't manage to hit him or anything, so that's a good thing"

"But I know he was scared. I could see it on his face"

Kadota made his way to the door, the other two following. "Well, you did go pretty nuts at him. You can only try to talk to him. He might surprise you. I don't think we're exactly innocent here either, he's probably pissed at us too, for thinking that he would do that"

"Yeah. I didn't mean to cause any friction between you"

Shinra shrugged "It's not the first time we've butted heads due to assumptions"

Kadota snorted "You can say that again"

Shizuo chuckled, wondering how he'd managed to find such understanding friends. The three began to make their way toward their next class "Hey Shinra. I forgot to ask. How did you talk the head into giving me another chance?"

Shinra grinned "I'll tell you once you and Izaya sort things out"

Shizuo rolled his eyes "If we ever do"

"Well" Kadota began "You are both pretty stubborn. But you do have one thing in common"

"What's that?"

Kadota smiled "The friendships you have, you take pretty seriously"

Shizuo smiled knowingly "Good to hear. Since you guys are my first real friends"

Shinra chuckled "Something we all have in common!"

Izaya kept his eyes to the front, he hadn't once spared them a look, he knew it was childish, but he was pissed at them. They were in social studies, which seemed kind of ironic. His mind reeled back to Shizuo's rage in the classroom and his hand shook slightly as he tried to write his answer down. _He could have fucking killed me _

Kadota glanced at Shinra who looked down sadly, Izaya was clearly ignoring them, but he didn't really blame him. Shizuo hunched his shoulders, he felt guilty, extremely guilty; not only had he made a mistake with Izaya, he might have cost the three their friendship too. Kadota smiled at him though. "It's ok. stop blaming yourself"

"Sorry"

At the end of their lesson, Izaya simply gathered his books and left without a word. They watched him leave, it would be pointless talking to him right now. "You'll have better luck at the end of the day. He won't have a choice but to listen to you" Kadota said as they made their way out of class.

"I guess. But we have our chosen subject now. I could try talking to him there, since it'll be just me and him and a bunch of students we don't really know"

Shinra nodded "Worth a try. But he might not even show up to the class"

Shizuo rolled his eyes and then waved goodbye to his two friends and made his way to toward his art room.

"How did you get the head to give him another chance?" Kadota asked, as he and Shinra walked into their biology class.

Shinra chuckled "Ah. It's a surprise"

Kadota shook his head, when it came to Shinra, nothing made sense.

Shizuo's leg was practically jigging up and down under the table. His fists clenched. _I can't believe Shinra was right! He actually didn't show up, how am I suppose to talk to him when he avoids me! _Shizuo wasn't even listening to the teacher, too hung up on the person that was suppose to be sitting behind him. _I swear, he better not skip out on cleaning that room and leave me to do it all, I really will beat his ass. _

Shizuo stared at the mess in the room, he felt guilt rise within him, he'd caused all this. Desks and chairs were split in two, there was broken glass everywhere and the wall had large dents from the impact of his throws. There was long panels of wood set to the side by the window, along with a box of nails and two hammers. They'd obviously been set aside for them to boarder up the window, at least until it got fixed properly. There was one problem, and it was making Shizuo grow extremely annoyed. The raven was nowhere to be seen. "He's gravely mistaken if he thinks he can skip out on helping me with this mess" Shizuo turned and stormed back out of the room. "I'll find him and drag him all the way back he-" Shizuo's sentence was cut short when he spotted Izaya heading his way. He frowned, unable to keep the anger out of his voice. "Where the hell have you been!? I was beginning to think you tried to weasel out of this"

Izaya stopped for a moment before turning to look at him as he past "You going to throw another table at me?" his tone was sarcastic, but Shizuo didn't really notice, he was too busy noticing something else. Izaya walked into the classroom, he slightly stumbled and Shizuo followed after him. Shizuo stared at him, not quite knowing what to say, Izaya could feel himself being gawked at, he glanced over in annoyance. "What?"

Shizuo blinked at the sudden question. Still, he couldn't focus on replying. He could see them now and it made his blood boil. Izaya had bruises. There was a light one just under his chin. His lip was split in two places, it looked like it was still bleeding. There was a larger bruise forming just under his left eye, Shizuo looked down and noticed that Izaya's knuckles were grazed. His clothes looked a little scuffled. Shizuo stepped forward. "Izaya, the hell happened to you?" this couldn't have happened no more than an hour ago, two at most.

Izaya's eyes narrowed "It's not really any of your concern. I showed up didn't I?" he turned around and picked up a broken chair to start clearing the mess. Shizuo watched him drag it over to the door and throw it outside, beginning a pile of broken wood. He started to pick up the fallen desks that survived Shizuo's rampage. Izaya huffed and glared at him. "This is your mess; I don't see why I have to even help you" Shizuo looked away from him and started picking up other broken desks.

"I was wrong"

Izaya looked over at him as he bent down to lift another desk. "About what?"

"I know it wasn't you that told them"

Izaya snorted "I could have fucking told you that"

Shizuo span around "Then why the hell didn't you say something!?"

Izaya frowned "What would the point in that be? You wouldn't have listened, and I was too busy trying not to get crushed by furniture"

"You didn't have to agree though! Why the hell did you say that?"

"I told you. you wouldn't believe me, so why bother trying" the raven pushed the desk up with a slight hiss, he leaned on the desk for a moment before dragging it over to the back wall.

"Oi. Tell me who did that"

Izaya chuckled "For someone who just tried to kill me a few hours ago, you seem awfully concerned"

Shizuo clenched his fists and picked up two broken chairs and threw them outside onto the pile. He knew this wasn't going to work, he was trying, but Izaya was so damn irritating. Yet, when he saw the bruises, anger swelled within him, whoever was responsible for that, Shizuo was going to make them suffer. He suddenly had this extremely overwhelming feeling of protectiveness. _Why the hell do I want to protect an asshole like him? _

They finally cleared all the broken furniture and placed the unbroken ones to one side. Each of them grabbed a broom to start sweeping the debris off the floor, they took one end of the room each. "Will your parent's freak if they see those bruises?" Shizuo grimaced at his lack of communication skills, he just wanted to break the silence.

Izaya sighed, he had no desire to talk to Shizuo, but it seemed that the blond was probably trying to apologise somehow. "I don't know. I suppose so. I don't usually get into fights. But ever since I came here, I seem to have gathered a little reputation. It was Shinra's fault really, I had to save his ass once on the roof from his middle school bullies. Pretty soon, the whole school was talking about it" Izaya swept his pile of debris to the middle, Shizuo met him there with his own pile.

Shizuo smiled "You have no idea how many times Shinra has told me that story"

Izaya raised an eyebrow "Why?"

Shizuo chuckled "I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but he and Kadota have done nothing but talk about you to me since I got here. trying to get me to see the side of you that they see"

Izaya rolled his eyes "Is that why you're talking to me now?"

Shizuo shook his head "No. well. Maybe. But I really want to apologise, I haven't snapped like that since my old school. I admit when I'm wrong"

Izaya shrugged and moved to get the dustpan from one of the desks. "Whatever"

Shizuo frowned "You know, you didn't exactly help the situation either"

"That's because I don't care. It really doesn't matter, we weren't friends to begin with, so an apology isn't really necessary"

Shizuo growled and his grip tightened on the broom he was holding "Are you kidding me!?" the two flinched when the broom snapped in half. Izaya rolled his eyes at him, sneering a little as he bent down to sweep the large pile of debris. Shizuo watched him with narrowed eyes and threw the broken pieces of broom outside. Once Izaya was done he stood up but swayed and stumbled backwards. Shizuo grabbed his hand before he could fall over. "Maybe we should take a break"

Izaya glared at him and yanked his hand away "The quicker we get this done, the quicker we'll be out of each other's way" Shizuo let his hand fall at his side and moved over to the window.

"There's a load of panels here. I'll border up the window, if you take care of the wall" Izaya looked over at the wall, several dents marked it and there were frames hanging off by lose nails or embedded into the cracks. Izaya clicked his tongue. He held a hand to his side for a moment, glanced over at Shizuo who was busy trying to hammer the panels in. He lifted up his shirt and grimaced; there were several dark purple bruises splaying across his abdomen and upper ribcage area. Shizuo was probably right, his parents were going to freak when they saw him.

"Let me do that" Izaya said, pulling his top back down so Shizuo didn't see his other bruises. Shizuo turned to him mid holding a panel and hammer. "You'll only make it worse, with your strength"

Shizuo frowned at him and threw the hammer to the floor "Fine"

Izaya watched him cross the room as he made his way over to the window. "You know it's true"

"Shut up. I'm done trying to talk to you"

Izaya grinned a little "Good" Izaya took the panel Shizuo had been holding and held a couple of nails between his teeth as he started to hammer them to the wall to block off the large gap.

Shizuo watched him for a moment and turned to his task, he chewed his lip with annoyance, he hadn't meant to cause this much damage. He couldn't help but feel relieved that Izaya escaped unscathed. Shizuo glanced at him, and yet…. _He managed to escape my rage, so who gave him those injuries? _

"Stop staring at me, it's very annoying"

Shizuo glared "Is that so!? And you don't find that staring at me with that damn smirk of yours is annoying!?" Izaya turned to grin at him, and Shizuo realised the raven was actually teasing him. "You- tst. I fucking hate you" Shizuo turned back to the wall and pulled a few broken frames from the wall. The bent lose nails scattered to the floor, along with more wall debris.

Izaya huffed "Can't you do anything without causing more mess?"

"Fuck off"

Izaya chuckled and went back to his job, he became dizzy once again and dropped the panel.

Shizuo turned quickly, eyes trailing over to see Izaya leaning against the wall for support. "Izaya?"

Izaya straightened himself and shrugged it off "Just go back to your wall"

Shizuo clenched a fist "Why don't you just let me help?"

Izaya chuckled "I'm fully capable of nailing wood to a wall _Shizu-chan_"

Shizuo snorted "Yeah. if you can even lift it off the ground in the first place"

Izaya glared at him and picked up the panel again, he raised it above his head and then a gust of wind blew into the room. Izaya closed his eyes to prevent dust from catching in them. They heard the light patter of rain against the other windows and soon, it became a heavy rain pour. "You've got to be kidding me" Izaya muttered, he held the wood still, but found he couldn't move his arms, not to mention he was getting soaked. Shizuo stormed over and snatched the hammer from Izaya and began hammering the nails in. "Shizu-"

"Shut up. Just hold the damn wood still, stubborn flea"

By now the two were soaked, Izaya held the last panel in place and Shizuo reached down for another nail, patting his hand around. "Anytime today"

Shizuo huffed angrily "We're out of nails"

Izaya groaned and put the panel down "There's probably more in the supply room down the hall" he moved to get them, and his hand was grabbed.

"I'll go. I don't trust you enough to come back"

Izaya gave him a small grin and placed his hands up "All right. If you say so. See if there are any spare gym shirts while you're at it, preferably a long sleeved"

Shizuo nodded "Good idea. What size, little kid's?"

Izaya rolled his eyes "Aren't you funny. Just get me a shirt"

Shizuo chuckled "Whatever. Skinny flea"

Shizuo came back with a small bag of nails, two light blue shirts and something that appeared to be a green box. Placing the shirts and box on the front desk, the two boarded up the last panel quickly. Shizuo sighed in relief once no more rain was coming through, he grabbed the two shirts and chucked the long sleeved one at Izaya "Here. the smallest I could find"

Izaya tutted. He began to wonder whether or not to thank Shizuo for the help. He mumbled. "Thank you" before he could change his mind.

"It's just a shirt"

Izaya huffed, Shizuo was so simple. "Idiot. I was talking about- never mind"

"Oh. Well, you're welcome" Shizuo peeled off his shirt that was clinging to his body. Izaya glanced away, feeling slightly awkward for some reason. Shizuo then sighed in relief again when the dry fabric covered him with warmth. "Didn't expect a storm today"

Izaya had no idea how Shizuo was now so calm around him. He didn't understand him one bit. "Weather is unpredictable" Izaya proceeded to take his rain soaked shirt off, but then- he stopped, it wasn't so much the bruises he wanted to hide, it was the scars on his arms that he didn't want Shizuo to see. The blond didn't know how to be apathetic. He hadn't known Shizuo long, but he got the feeling Shizuo was extremely protective, and given his rather short temper, it just added fuel to the fire. Though Izaya didn't know why that was directed at him all of a sudden, considering the two had done nothing but bicker and fight since they met. Still, Izaya was willing to bet that Shizuo wanted to beat the crap out of the ones responsible for his bruises. "Turn around"

Shizuo had to laugh _Is he seriously shy? _"You're joking right? We're both guys, what does it matter?" Izaya frowned at him, not budging. "Fine" Shizuo turned his back.

Izaya lifted his top and slung it to the floor, he then pulled the dry sweatshirt over his head, all the while watching Shizuo. The blond headed for the front desk and picked up the green box. "You done yet?"

Izaya almost chuckled, he suspected that Shizuo thought he was shy. "Yes. I'm done" he'd keep it that way, he didn't mind, he liked to keep people guessing, especially Shizuo. It was so amusing, Shizuo wanted to hate him, yet he tried so hard to get along with him at the same time, trying to figure him out. Shizuo turned around with the box and made his way over, dragging a chair with him. Izaya watched him curiously.

Shizuo placed the chair in front of him "Sit"

Izaya looked at the chair and then at Shizuo, grinning ever so slightly "Why?"

Shizuo seemed to get annoyed again, why was it so easy to get him angry? "Just sit already. It's a simple fucking request Izaya, why is everything so difficult with you?"

Izaya couldn't help it, he laughed. "It's not me that's difficult. I only asked a simple question, you don't have to get so angry" Izaya continued to laugh and Shizuo clenched a fist, grabbed Izaya's shoulder and forced him into the seat. "So rough. All you had to do was ask" Izaya was full on grinning now as Shizuo glared at him.

Shizuo gritted his teeth "I. did"

Izaya chuckled "Demanding and asking are two different meanings"

Shizuo growled, he was trying so hard not to fling the chair, with Izaya on it, across the room. "Shut. Up" he opened the box and emptied its contents harshly onto the floor, Izaya watched him with amusement. Shizuo took a few supplies from the floor, antiseptic, tongs and cotton wool. "Hold out your hands" Izaya blinked, he knew what Shizuo was doing, but it was still oddly surprising.

"They're only grazes Shizu-chan"

Not even rebuking him for the nickname this time, Shizuo poured some of the liquid onto the cotton and pinched it with the tongs. He was completely ignoring the raven's subtle protest. "Dunno if this might sting or not. Just try to keep still"

"Are you listening? This isn't necessary. And why the hell do you even care? You didn't cause this"

Shizuo tensed and stopped his advances for a moment. "I know. if I had, it'd be a lot worse than some bruises and a few cuts"

"So why the sudden hospitality treatment?"

Shizuo glanced up at him and then back to concentrate on what he was doing. "Because I made a mistake. I don't like losing control like that when someone deserves it, let alone- when they don't"

Izaya chuckled and leaned forward, hands resting between his knees. "I've annoyed you quite a bit, are you sure I didn't deserve it? perhaps your angry that your actions didn't cause this, that someone else did the job instead" instantly, Izaya knew he'd overstepped the mark, he knew that wasn't true and he suddenly felt bad for saying it; Shizuo didn't get angry though, but he leaned back on his heels and avoided his gaze. "Sorry" Izaya mumbled.

Shizuo took a deep breath, trying not to get angry, he knew Izaya probably didn't mean what he said, judging by his sudden silence. "Why would you think that?" Shizuo said, shifting forward once more with the cotton.

"I don't. not really" Izaya smiled teasingly "But. You always do wanna kick my ass"

Shizuo rolled his eyes "That's because you piss me off. I wouldn't hurt you without good reason"

Izaya laughed "Well, at least that's somewhat reassuring"

Shizuo snorted "Shut up. Give me your hands flea, or I really will hurt you" Izaya decided to just give in, it wasn't like he had much choice, Shizuo would not leave it alone, and if this was the blond's way of apologising, then he wouldn't give up until he did. He held his hands out and allowed Shizuo to clean them. It stung a little, but he didn't let it show. "So. Did you get into a fight recently before this?"

Izaya tilted his head "No. why you ask?"

"Well. I was just thinking about that time in art. What the teacher said, about your hands being bandaged up"

Izaya cringed, he didn't like to think about that, and he definitely didn't want to talk about it. "I suppose so"

"Gotta be more careful. You're small"

Izaya blinked dumbfoundedly and laughed "Looks can be deceiving. I can take care of myself; I know how to fight when I have to. Just because I'm small, that doesn't make me weak"

Shizuo hunched his shoulders, feeling guilty for making assumptions. "Yeah. you're right. Sorry"

Izaya found himself smiling. _I underestimated him _Shizuo wasn't all rage and destruction. Like izaya, there was a gentler side to him, that people didn't see often. _He really is just a gentle misunderstood beast. _"I don't mind. It throws people off guard, gives me an advantage. If I was that weak, I'd have come off a lot worse than this"

Shizuo chuckled "I suppose so. Still…" he tensed in anger

Shizuo finished cleaning his hands and then sat up straight, he poured some more liquid onto a fresh piece of cotton. Izaya watched him near his face and grabbed his wrist. "Just be sure you know what you're doing. Don't get that stuff in my eye"

Shizuo huffed a laugh "I'm not a doctor or anything. But I've had my fair share of injuries, I know how to take care of them by now" Izaya narrowed his eyes somewhat, before releasing Shizuo's wrist and allowed him to continue. The raven flinched when the cotton touched his lip. Shizuo pulled back a little. "Sorry"

Izaya gave him a tight smile "It's fine. Just carry on" Shizuo nodded and continued. Izaya couldn't help but wonder something, Shizuo barely mentioned home life, the only one he talked about briefly was his brother. "Shizu-chan?"

"What?" the gruff voice told Izaya that he was concentrating, Izaya waited a moment before speaking again.

"You said you know how to take care of your injuries by now. do you-"

"I live alone" Shizuo interrupted him, he knew what izaya was going to ask.

"Oh. Parents?"

Shizuo almost laughed "Don't worry. They're not dead or anything" Shizuo stopped for a moment, he switched to dab the cotton over the dark bruise under Izaya's eye. "Though if you asked them, don't be surprised if they don't say the same thing about me" Izaya pulled away, at first, Shizuo thought he'd put too much pressure on the bruise, but Izaya was frowning, almost like he was angry. "What?"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"What makes you say that?"

Shizuo sighed, maybe he would feel more comfortable telling Kadota, or even Shinra. But it felt weird, opening up to Izaya of all people, this was the first time the two had shown the slightest slither of openness, like they might actually get along. "Doesn't matter" Shizuo moved to continue but Izaya batted his hand away, knocking the tongs out of his hand. Shizuo frowned and picked up the tool, he grabbed more cotton and the antiseptic. "It's ok. don't worry about it"

Izaya didn't know why he was angry, but something told him that part of Shizuo's reputation was because of his parents. "I'm not letting you continue unless you tell me"

Shizuo looked at him, wondering why Izaya was suddenly acting so….caring? Shizuo mentally shook his head. _Yeah right _"All right. It's not a big deal, I've gotten used to it. so don't go pitying me or anything"

Izaya tutted "Just tell me. We both know I'm not going to tell anyone, just to clear that up now" Shizuo somewhat glared at him, Izaya grinned "I'm just clarifying, that's all. We don't want another classroom destroyed, do we?"

Shizuo sighed and went back to his task, and his story. "My parents own a shrine in Kyoto. They're very proud of it, always kept it in the utmost top condition. My parents were already priests and maidens when they met, they became well known once they'd taken over my grandmother's shrine. Before they were due to be married, my mother found out she was pregnant with me…"

Izaya shifted uncomfortably as he felt the tension from Shizuo. "Oh…"

Shizuo huffed a laugh "Yeah. you can imagine that wasn't taken too well. Anyway, they kept it a secret, got married and announced the pregnancy as 'the miracle child of the shrine'" Shizuo sat back on his heels and started packing away the items. "Everything seemed like it was ok. Kasuka was born a few years after, and everyone thought we were the perfect Shinto family. We were being raised to care for the shrine, being taught different kinds of chants and holy laws"

Izaya didn't know what to say, he had no idea that Shizuo came from that kind of life. He didn't act like a priest's son one bit. "Something changed right?"

Shizuo nodded, Izaya was smart, he could tell by that one comment that he'd most likely figured it out, but he continued anyway. "I don't quite remember when it happened, I was around twelve at the time. My brother and I were cleaning up part of the shrine one day outside, he accidently kicked up dirt on my side and- I snapped, I don't know why…. I picked up the statue that was close by and threw it. I didn't mean to, Kasuka wasn't hurt or anything but….my parents saw what happened, at first, they thought I had been given a gift. Then it kept happening, it got worse once they sent us to public school…that's, that's when they started to become afraid. When I first got expelled, they kept me home, and told people that I was sick. Not long after that, my father started to perform exorcisms on me, to drive out whatever it was that possessed me. Thinking that he'd freed me, I was allowed back to school, a different one. It happened again…. And it wasn't long before my parents called in other priests to try and see what kind of demon had taken over me. I was afraid by then, I didn't want to be that way, I wanted the demon gone, I wanted to be normal, I hoped that one of them was going to help me.

"It had become clear to my parents; by the time I was fifteen, and I got expelled from our local high school, that what possessed me was punishment, it was their punishment for conceiving me before marriage. Not wanting anyone to find out, they banished me from the shrine and told people they'd sent me away to be cured. I haven't seen them since. Kasuka was the only one who didn't believe in what they said. The only one that I could count on. I tried to live a normal life, forget about where I came from; high school, studying, just trying to live my life. Pretty soon, everyone in my previous school started to believe the same thing as my parents, I'm possessed, and people are better off staying away"

Izaya didn't know what to say, he did not expect Shizuo to have lived like that. How could anyone's parents treat their own child like a demonic plague? He was suddenly very grateful to his parents. Shizuo stood up with a sombre face, his heart clenched painfully; Izaya looked at him as he placed the box back on the desk, clenching his fists. _His parents made him believe that he's a demon. He grew up thinking he was sick. _Izaya didn't know how he could convince Shizuo that it wasn't true, he wanted to, but… Izaya's eyes widened as he got an idea. But it was the case of whether Shizuo would believe _him. _"Shizu-chan?"

Shizuo shrugged and gave him a tight smile as he turned around. "S'fine. Sorry, I don't really know why I told you all that. but it's the truth I guess"

Izaya stood up and walked toward him, he stopped in front and held his hand out. "I'm sorry"

Shizuo looked down at the hand and then back at Izaya. "For what?"

"I didn't realise you were dealing with a situation like that. I didn't mean to make it worse"

Shizuo blinked _What's he actually apologising for? _"Why are you sorry?"

Izaya sighed "Look. I wouldn't have angered you on purpose so much if- I knew the truth"

Shizuo chuckled a little, taking Izaya's hand. "You don't have to apologise for all of it. I didn't tell you all that just to get along with you"

Izaya shrugged and tilted his head with a grin "In that case. I'll still annoy you"

Shizuo glared at him then "You're such an asshole"

Izaya laughed "I wouldn't want you to get the idea that we're friends or anything"

Shizuo snorted "Wouldn't want that"

Izaya took his hand back and shoved both in his pocket. "I do have something to tell you though. While we're still on relatively good terms" Izaya smirked at him

Shizuo rolled his eyes "What?"

"You're not a demon Shizu-chan. Nor are you possessed by anything else"

Shizuo frowned "You don't know what you're talking about flea" Shizuo turned his back and headed for the door.

Izaya followed after him and grabbed his arm, forcing Shizuo to face him. "Listen to me!" Izaya seemed angry again, Shizuo glanced away, not really sure if he wanted to hear it. "You're not possessed"

Shizuo glared and snorted "And you happen to know this for sure do you? you gonna tell me that your parents are priests too?"

Izaya chuckled "No. that's definitely not it" Izaya released his arm "I know for sure because if you were. I'd know it"

Shizuo became confused, he tilted his head "What does that mean?"

"I'm only telling you this because given your background. You might just believe me. And it is the truth"

Shizuo could hear the sincerity in the other's voice and his heart began beating faster, began to fill with hope. "W-what?"

"I can see spirits Shizu-chan" Shizuo's eyes widened, and when he didn't reply, Izaya carried on. "Since I was twelve. I can see spirits, ghosts, and sense other strange paranormal mishaps. Me and several of my old middle school classmates stayed late one day in the library, we used a Ouija board-" Shizuo opened his mouth as if to say something, his face in shock. "Before you start yelling. Yes, I know that was a stupid thing to do. We all experienced some strange occurrences after, but I kept mine quiet. Not long after, someone in the group, became so terrified that he committed suicide. I was the only one out of us that got this- this gift, if that's what you want to call it. So believe me when I say that if you were possessed, I would know"

Shizuo couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd waited…so long, for someone to tell him that, that he wasn't a monster, a demon. He truly believed Izaya was telling the truth. "I-I'm not a demon? There's….nothing inside me?"

Izaya shook his head "No"

"Does…does Shinra and Kadota know?"

"About me? Yes, they do"

Shizuo looked down at the floor, he clenched his fists, it was so…so amazing to hear. "Thank you. thank you so much" Shizuo didn't know what to do, never in his life had someone outright proved it, as such. Kasuka didn't believe it, but Shizuo just figured he was just a caring brother.

"You believe me, right?"

Shizuo nodded, and he did, Izaya was too convincing, he wouldn't make up something like that, right? Shizuo took a deep breath and Izaya squeaked in surprise when he became embraced in a tight hug. "Thank you Izaya"

Izaya's arms remained at his side, he winced at the pressure on his bruises and pushed the blond's chest. "All right" Izaya grinned at him "I didn't take you for the hugging type"

Shizuo hunched his shoulders and grinned "Don't get used to it"

"Believe me. I won't. Let's finish up, we've still got to carry all the broken furniture downstairs"

Finally, the two had finished. It was past eight by the time they had properly disposed of everything. "Won't your parents be worried by now?" Shizuo asked as they walked back to the front entrance of the school.

Izaya shrugged "They just think I'm doing some after school assignment with Shinra"

Shizuo chuckled and rolled his eyes "I take it Shinra will back that up?"

Izaya grinned "Without a doubt"

"What about your bruises?"

Izaya shrugged "I don't really have to lie. I was just defending myself"

They stopped at the gate and Shizuo smirked a little. "I forgot to say earlier. You're not the only one that's given hell to those bullies of Shinra's. they're the reason I thought you had spoke about me. They overheard us on the field. Apparently to get back at you they planned it so I would lose my temper and come after you. pretty cowardly huh?"

Izaya sighed somewhat and leant on the fence as they stood outside the school. "I know"

"Know what?"

"I know it was them, and I know you roughed them up, or at least two of them"

"How?"

"Because after you directed your anger at them, they ran crying to their other friends. Directing their anger at _me_"

Shizuo's eyes widened and he punched the fence "What!?"

"Before they attacked me I'd figured it out, that it was their fault. I can deal with two or three, but not five"

Shizuo growled angrily "I'll fucking kill them!"

Izaya straightened and shrugged "Doesn't matter now. they didn't get out of it completely unscathed" he then grinned "Lucky me that Shinra gave me back my weapon before. Though I'm sure that was to apologise in his own way"

"Weapon?"

Izaya pulled the item from his pocket and flicked out his knife. Shizuo flinched ever so slightly. Izaya smirked and waved it in front of the blond's face. "I told you I can take care of myself. Too bad it doesn't work against spirits"

Shizuo huffed a laugh. Izaya was insane. "Well. If I ever lose my shit and go crazy on you again, you have my permission to use that on me"

Izaya nodded and replied "Noted" as he withdrew his blade and pocketed it. "Well Shizu-chan. It's been fun. I'll see you tomorrow"

Shizuo nodded and watched the smaller male walk away, waving behind him. "See ya"

Kadota and Izaya were sat in their own club room the next day, waiting for Shinra. Izaya was searching on the laptop, studying certain areas of psychic awakenings . Kadota was on the two seater couch, yawning and almost falling asleep. "Damn. It's not even eight yet. What could be so important? He sounded pretty excited on the phone"

Izaya sat back in his swivel chair. "Who knows. Shinra tends to exaggerate. He gets excited about everything"

Kadota chuckled "That's true. But he did say he'd come up with a great idea. Maybe he found some other project for us"

Suddenly, the door slammed open and a very excited Shinra ran in, Kadota had a hand on his chest, trying to breath. "The hell Shinra?"

Izaya chuckled "Congratulations. You almost killed Dota-chin"

Kadota glared over at the raven "Asshole"

Izaya grinned at him and stood up, turning his attention to Shinra as he said "All right. What's with the excitement?"

Shinra jumped up and down, he then dragged a very familiar blond into the room. Shizuo yanked his hand away, clearly annoyed that he'd been called here so early.

Izaya's eyes widened and he half slammed his hands on the desk "Shinra, what is he doing here?"

Shizuo glared over at him "I don't wanna be here!"

Izaya snorted and frowned over at Shinra "What did you do?"

Shinra was grinning like a Chester cat. "Remember when I convinced the teacher to let Shizuo stay? Well, this was it! he's gonna help us! I promised that by him joining us, he wouldn't get in trouble and that I would help keep it that way"

Izaya walked over to them and grabbed Shinra by the collar "Have you lost your mind?"

Shinra simply smiled "Four of us is better then three! Especially if we ever get into trouble again"

"Like I would trust him with my life"

Shizuo gritted his teeth "I wouldn't fucking save your ass anyway flea!"

"I wouldn't even ask you to!"

Shinra laughed nervously, holding his hands between them to try and keep the peace. Kadota sighed heavily. "Well. There's always next Monday"


	8. The cursed house part 1

"Shinra, this is a really bad idea" Kadota said as all three were still staring at the bespectacled man incredulously. "We are _not _professionals. Are you crazy?"

Shinra huffed and slumped, and then he started to whine. "Oh come on~ it's a great idea! Think about it! We'd be starting our own business!" Shinra looked at them hopefully. "We solved the mystery building already didn't we? And we didn't even _try_"

Izaya snorted and flicked Shinra on the forehead "That's because I done most of the work"

Shinra laughed nervously "Well. I guess that's true. All the more reason why we should do it, and you can be in charge since-"

Shizuo flinched at that "No way! Not a chance in hell is he in charge of anything I do"

Izaya rolled his eyes. "I don't even _want _to be in charge, so shut the hell up"

Shizuo clenched his fists and huffed as he leant against the wall, keeping his distance, lest he smack Izaya in the face. "God damn flea" he muttered.

Kadota sighed "Look. It's not just about who's in charge or how we "cleansed" that building on our own. Need I remind you both how dangerous that experience was? Izaya, you almost di-" Izaya quickly reached over and covered Kadota's mouth, giving him a stern frown. He glanced over at Shizuo, who's eyes seem to be glued to him. Izaya uncovered Kadota's mouth. "Anyway. Despite that, who the hell is going to take a bunch of fifteen and sixteen year old's seriously?"

Shinra grinned widely "The girl that came to me directly and asked for help"

All three blinked at him "What?" they exclaimed together.

Shinra nodded eagerly "It's true! I already got us our first case!"

Izaya was about to retort and grab Shinra's shirt, but Shizuo beat him to it. The blond was on Shinra so fast. "You mean to tell me that you agreed already!? You didn't think of talking to us before that!?" Shinra stared nervously at his angry friend. "Well!?" Shizuo shook him.

Izaya wrapped his fingers around Shizuo's wrist "Before I actually let you pummel Shinra to a pulp," he started with a grin as he watched Shinra pale considerably. "Shinra, we are not equipped to properly deal with the supernatural elements of ghosts and spirits. I don't think anyone will believe us when I tell them that I can see them" Shinra gasped and looked back at Shizuo and Izaya seemed to get what he was worried about. "Shizu-chan knows. I told him"

"Tst. Yeah, I know about Izaya's gift" Shizuo then glared at the raven "Will you stop fucking calling me that?" Izaya grinned and then shrugged

"Yeah yeah" Shizuo growled and put Shinra down, his anger now directed elsewhere. He made a grab for Izaya, but the raven dodged it easily. "Regardless. Someone who comes seeking help from a potential ghost hunter, expects professional evidence, a visual display of what's going on. We have neither the resources, nor any equipment. We don't even have a night model camera. All we have is our word, and what if there are no spirits to be seen to begin with?"

"We won't know until we try" Shinra whined again.

Kadota frowned in thought for a moment, a finger to his chin, then he clicked his fingers. "Hey. We haven't used any of that funding Shinra talked about yet. How much have we got? We could use that to buy some equipment"

Izaya's eyes lit up for a second and he clapped a hand on Kadota's shoulder. "Perfect. And I thought I was the only brains here" he chuckled when another whine came from Shinra and a loud growl from Shizuo.

Kadota brushed it off, he was too used to Izaya's teasing nature "Gee thanks. So, Shinra, what do we have to work with?"

Shinra bit his lip and scratched his head, avoiding Izaya and Kadota's stare. "Well. You see, the thing is with that, we- we sort of…Don't. have. Any"

Izaya frowned and grabbed Shinra's shirt. "What?"

Shinra grinned sheepishly "Did I not mention that?"

"I thought you said we had funding" Izaya hissed

Shinra closed his mouth for a second, but still continued to grin, though he was slightly nervous now. "We did. That wasn't a lie"

Kadota pulled Izaya off him so that he could ask "Then what happened to it"

Shinra gulped and then said "That's the other reason why I was able to get Shizuo to stay. That the funding be taken away to pay for the damages of the classroom"

Izaya stilled and then glared over at Shizuo, the blond went on the defensive instantly. "It's your own damn fault flea!"

"You're the one that caused the damage!"

"Yeah, well you were the one that- didn't say anything-" Shizuo huffed, he really wasn't sure where he was going with this argument, he folded his arms and glanced away. "Just shut up"

"Well Shizu-chan, once again your protozoan brain is absolutely useless"

Shizuo blinked over at him, looking slightly confused "My what now?"

Izaya sighed and rolled his eyes "Never mind"

Shizuo glared "Don't fucking insult me with words I don't even understand flea!"

Izaya laughed "If you don't understand the word, how do you know it's an insult?"

Shizuo growled at him "I'm pretty sure a compliment isn't followed by the word useless"

Izaya smiled "So what if it meant over stimulated brain? That might be seen as a compliment no? therefore, your intelligence wouldn't be very useful for something so simple like an argument. For example, Shinra is smart and he sucks at arguments"

Shizuo frowned, now he was even more confused, but he couldn't hear any teasing in Izaya's voice. "Oh" Shizuo shrugged a little. "Well thanks, I think" Izaya tried incredibly hard not to laugh his ass off, especially when Kadota and Shinra were shaking their head at him.

"Anyway" Izaya continued "Shinra. Your plan is ridiculous. So tell whoever the hell approached you, that we're not solving her spooky problems"

"But- but…"

"No"

"But" Shinra lay his head on Izaya's shoulder "Pleeeease" Izaya shoved him off

"No"

Shinra nuzzled his shoulder and whimpered, though nobody could see his slightly blushing cheeks. "Please. Please. Please"

"What are you a puppy?" Shinra whimpered again, trying his best impression of a puppy dog look. "You know I prefer cats, right?" Izaya chuckled a little as Shinra started to create a purring sound, but it really sounded more like he was choking. Izaya pushed him off. "All right! we'll think of something" Shinra jumped up in excitement. Izaya shook his head and then announced that he'd be back as he made for the exit.

Shinra blanched and then fell against the couch that was in the room and screamed into a pillow. Shizuo and Kadota looked at him, he peeked over the top, a full blush on his face. "The hell did I just do?"

Kadota almost grinned and walked around the back of the couch. "Well. I think, you nuzzled Izaya's shoulder and basically acted like his pet"

Shinra covered his face. "Why~"

Shizuo leaned against the side of couch, he was talking to his friends about Shinra's little embarrassment, but his mind was focused on something else. "I don't know what the hell you see in the flea. But I'm pretty sure, no one flirts like that"

Shinra became even more red. "I wasn't flirting!"

Kadota chuckled, Shizuo just grinned and then stepped away from the couch. "By the way. What the hell does protozoan actually mean?" he had this sneaky suspicion that Izaya was lying to him.

Kadota wondered whether he should tell him, but he couldn't let the blond carry on thinking it was a good thing whenever Izaya called him that, and Shizuo already suspected that it was something bad. He opened his mouth to reply, but Shinra beat him to it.

"It's a single celled microscopic animal" and then he went on to basically tell Shizuo why it was an insult.

Kadota looked at him and then sighed _god damnit _

Shizuo closed his eyes in frustration, a vein becoming visible on his forehead. He growled out and then- "Izayaaaaa!" and Shizuo ran out of the room to catch up with the absent raven.

Kadota looked at Shinra "Really?"

Shinra chuckled "Shizuo won't hurt him that much"

Kadota cringed "This isn't your creepy way of thinking that if Izaya is bruised up that you'll get to look after him or something, is it?"

Shinra blushed a deep shade of red "No!"

Kadota sighed and sat on the couch "Just checking"

"I don't have a crush on Izaya"

"Ah huh"

"I don't!"

"Right. because why else would you be blushing right now"

Shinra screamed into the pillow again.

…

Shizuo rolled his eyes at the raven beside him. Their desks had been moved together for a certain test in their art class, and since "Apparently" the two had similar ideas, they were forced to pair up. "It was hours ago, stop complaining" he said after a few seconds. "I didn't hit you _that _hard"

Izaya glared at him, once again, rubbing his sore shoulder. "You hit me with a trash can!" he hissed loudly. "If I hadn't dodged, that would have been my head"

Shizuo almost chuckled "Come on. Don't be so dramatic. I might be a little more aggressive-"

"A little? Who throws trash cans at people!?"

"Let me finish! I might be more aggressive, but I've got a pretty good aim"

Izaya snorted and sat back in his chair. "You've got a poor aim if you really were aiming for my head"

Shizuo laughed then "I wasn't aiming for your head Izaya. Didn't I already say I don't want to kill you, just beat the shit out of you sometimes?"

Izaya frowned at him "That doesn't make me feel any better"

"Shut up already. It's your fault"

"It's not my fault your dense"

Shizuo glared at him clutching his pencil. "Want me to jam this pencil in your hand?"

Izaya grinned at him "Now what would be more effective? My switchblade, or your stupid pencil, which by the way, isn't even sharpened"

Shizuo grinned back "Led poisoning"

"Blood poisoning"

"I could break a bone" 

"So could I"

The two glare at each other for several more seconds, neither of them moving. "I hate you"

Izaya feigned a hurtful expression "And I thought we were getting along so well"

Shizuo bared his teeth and kicked him in the shin.

"Ow!"

Shizuo grinned "My foot slipped"

A sudden hand came down on the desk and startled them both. "Will you two stop bickering and actually get some work done. I placed you both together because of your intelligence"

Izaya suddenly burst out laughing. "Ha ha! He's not bright at all. Shizu-chan, what's abstract?"

Shizuo glared at him "It uses a visual language of shape, form, colour and line to create a composition! There!"

The teacher shook her head with an annoyed sigh. "Thank you Shizuo. Now, stop this pointless taunting and do the work" and then the teacher left them alone.

Izaya smirked at him "You read that off the wall"

"Shut up!"

…..

After school ended; the four friends were back in their classroom, trying to come up with a good explanation of their skills. Although, Shizuo was more interested in trying to kill Izaya with his glare. "Here's a thought" Shinra said, getting their attention. "We've got to come up with a title that describes us. That will be our starting point"

Kadota tilted his head "For example?"

Shinra leaned forward on the couch. "Well. Izaya is our spiritualist, our ghost whisperer if you will, since he's the one with the psychic abilities"

Izaya rolled his eyes "What exactly am I supposed to do to prove that?"

Shinra grinned "Solve the case?"

Izaya gave him a blank annoyed look. "Great advice"

Shinra nodded, ignoring Izaya's sarcasm, because he wasn't lying. Izaya was the likeliest to deal with any paranormal activity they'd come across, his other ability notwithstanding. Shinra was almost sure that the raven hadn't mentioned _that _to Shizuo. "All right. Not to sound arrogant here, but aside from Izaya, I'm the only one here that has a good selection of knowledge on the paranormal and spirits. I'll be the key speaker of the group, if- if that's all right?"

Kadota shrugged, it did make sense, since Izaya seemed to not like the idea of being in charge. "Fine"

Shinra then looked at Shizuo and the blond shoved his hands in his pockets. "As long as the flea isn't in charge, I don't care"

Izaya rolled his eyes. "Well, I agree that your knowledge on the subjects are vast. But- I also need you to trust mine"

Shinra looked over at him and smiled "Of course. If you see a spirit or sense anything disturbing, I'll believe you"

Izaya shuffled his feet slightly, not quite sure why the feeling of insecurity came over him all of a sudden. He shook it off and then grinned. "Dota-chin is the muscle. Obviously"

Kadota glared at him "Really?"

Izaya nodded and jumped on his back with a laugh "Dota-chin is strong!" Shizuo snorted, almost looking at the scene with annoyance. Izaya heard him grunt and got the wrong idea, he jumped over to him and poked him in the chest. "Naw! Shizu-chan is stronger! Don't be jealous!"

Shizuo growled and batted his hand away "Shut up flea! That wasn't what I was- just shut up, you're damn annoying"

Izaya chuckled and then tilted his head "Shizu-chan is strong. But you've got a more profound ability ne?"

Shizuo glared at him "Keep your mouth shut"

Izaya shoved his hands in his pockets and seemed to grow serious for a moment. To the others surprise, Izaya dragged him out of the room and Shizuo had no choice but to let him, of course he could easily stop the raven, but he didn't. Once they were in the corridor, Izaya lowered his voice so the others couldn't hear them. "It wouldn't hurt to tell them" Shizuo clenched his fists. "You must have learned a few incantations growing up. And your strength, it might help the force of it. I'm not entirely sure how it all works, but maybe you having that strength is meant to be an indication of how good you can be. It would certainly mean putting it to good use, isn't that what you want?"

Shizuo blinked. Izaya confused the hell out of him sometimes. How the hell could he go from being someone so fucking annoying, that he wanted to beat the living shit out of; to someone he could confide in? that didn't make sense at all, did it? Shizuo swallowed and growled low in his throat. "I'm far from being _that _kind of person. I doubt I have any real skill in that area"

"Have you ever tried?"

Shizuo looked away from him for a moment "Yes"

Izaya blinked in surprise, he certainly hadn't expected that answer. "On what? A ghost? Some sort of spirit?"

Shizuo shook his head, still avoiding Izaya's gaze. "Myself"

Izaya sighed and leant against the wall. "Shizu-chan…you're not-"

Shizuo frowned slightly and looked up. "I know that now. just, back then"

Izaya looked at him and nodded, he pushed away from the wall and lay his hand on Shizuo's arm for a second. Shizuo was almost touched by the simplicity of that gesture. "Look. Whatever it is that causes us to hate each other, it doesn't count for the fact that there's something we both know that's equally true"

Shizuo stared at him blankly, having no idea what the hell Izaya was going on about. "Huh?"

Izaya smiled and shrugged "To put simply enough, you're not a demon. And even if you could do that kind of exorcism on yourself, it wouldn't have worked anyway. So how do you know that what you might be able to do won't work if you haven't tried it on the real thing?"

Shizuo sighed and nodded "Yeah. maybe you're right"

Izaya smirked a little "Of course I am" and then he headed back inside, Shizuo grabbed his arm.

"Izaya-"

"You don't need to tell them the whole story. All they need to know is that you came from a shrine and that your parents were priests. The explanation will be enough"

Shizuo released him and watched him disappear into the room. He growled and clenched his fists. _That damn flea, always confusing me. How the hell can he act like such an asshole and then- be so god damn considerate. God I hate him _Shizuo soon followed after him and Izaya clapped his hands, that annoying grin back on his face.

"Well that's that decided!" Izaya said with glee. "Shizu-chan is our acting priest!"

_Wait, what? _Shizuo narrowed his eyes. "Izaya! I'm not!-" Izaya turned to him with a grin. "You son of a bitch. What the hell"

Shinra and Kadota blinked at him in confusion. "Shizuo?" Shinra questioned

Shizuo sighed, Izaya was right, he didn't have to tell them the whole story. But still, Shizuo glared at him for a moment, that didn't mean he had agreed. "I come from a shrine. My parents are priests. I grew up with some knowledge, might help us out I guess. But I don't know if I have any real skill, I haven't performed any rituals or exorcisms or anything like that"

Shinra's eyes seemed to light up in excitement. "That's perfect! Wow Shizuo! I had no idea. I mean I would have never thought-"

Shizuo growled "All right! I get it. just shut up"

Kadota smiled and clapped a hand over Shizuo's shoulder. "That's pretty cool"

Shizuo shrugged "Not a big deal"

Kadota looked over at Izaya, he had a feeling Izaya already knew, and Shizuo didn't seem to mind much, almost as if he'd actually told him voluntarily. The raven turned when he felt someone staring at him, Kadota looked at him as though he was trying to figure something out. Izaya shrugged and grinned at him and then sat behind the desk. "So. Now that we actually have our abilities worked out. We need to make the price reasonable"

Kadota and Shizuo looked at him, and Izaya knew instantly that what he said didn't sit right with them. "We're charging people?" Shizuo asked in surprise

Izaya linked his hands together behind his head as he leaned back on the chair. "Of course. That is what a business does no?"

Kadota sat on the couch "I thought we were just gonna help people. Feels kind of wrong to charge people for something like this"

"It's immoral!" Shizuo shouted, Izaya frowned and stood up.

"Does that mean it's immoral to charge people hospital fees when they're sick? Or to pay the police for helping to solve a crime?"

Shizuo clenched his fists. "No. I mean, I don't think- it's their job"

Izaya tilted his head "Then what's the problem?" he then sat back down "If we're going to be serious about this, doesn't it make sense for us to get paid? Paramedic's and police risk their lives doing their jobs, they have a right to get paid for that. Dota-chin is right, it could be dangerous for us. It _is _dangerous. So why shouldn't we ask for a fee?"

Shizuo frowned at the floor. What Izaya said made a lot of sense. He knew the raven was right, he knew that. He nodded, there was nothing he could argue back to that. "I get it"

"There's also the fact that we have no funding. This case will determine how good we can be without equipment"

Shinra nodded "It'll be a long process I think. Whatever we decide to charge, will have to be split accordingly. Between us and what goes toward professional equipment. And of course there's taxes…"

Izaya sighed and stood up again. "While taxes aren't debatable here. I think we might be able to agree, that whatever money we receive from this case, the rest goes toward equipment. We don't need money for ourselves just yet. We do live at home after all, and we're barely sixteen" Izaya glanced at Shizuo, wondering if he was right in thinking the blond didn't want them to know he lived on his own. Shizuo gave him a slight nod, and Izaya merely took that as a sign that he was right.

Shinra nodded and then spoke "We don't know that we even have to pay taxes just yet. If we stick to light cases, we can build up our reputation. If nobody takes us seriously enough, we wouldn't really need to register as self-employed"

Kadota and Shizuo seemed to agree, and they felt relieved, the two were thinking this through rationally. Kadota then wanted his input. "Ok. so if we're really going to do this. Can I suggest that we don't charge anyone a thing until the case is solved?"

The others seemed to ponder on that for a moment. Izaya didn't seem entirely on board with that suggestion, and he'd be willing to bet Shinra wasn't either. "Not that it doesn't sound like a good idea. But going back to my earlier argument. Doctors and police get paid whether they cure a patient or not. Solve a crime or not. So why again, should we _try _and not get anything?"

Shizuo frowned "We're trying to build our reputation aren't we?"

Izaya huffed "And would you like our reputation to be based on being a complete pushover? That we're the type of people that are just that lenient?"

Shizuo glared for a moment longer before finally conceding. "No"

Shinra didn't want there to be an argument, he then smiled with an idea. "I got it! we calculate the full fee based on the case. And we charge say, a ten percent non refundable deposit. That way, we'll get something for doing our job regardless. And we only accept the rest if the case is solved. How does that sound?"

Izaya nodded with a grin "That sounds fine" Kadota nodded in agreement, happy with that outcome. Izaya looked at Shizuo. "Does that make your conscious feel better?" Shizuo was well aware of the sarcastic tone in Izaya's voice, but he nodded anyway. "Good. Tomorrow, we'll have the girl come here and explain what she thinks might be happening and we go from there" the other three nod "Once we know what we're dealing with. We can come up with a reasonable fee and act accordingly"

Shinra laughed "I can't wait! I'm so excited!" Kadota just chuckled, at first he thought this was a horrible idea. But now, he found himself pretty excited too, he looked at Izaya and saw the slightest glint in his eyes, it wasn't as if _he _was going to admit such a thing. But Kadota could tell anyway. He only worried about Shizuo, his temper might be a problem if Izaya got on his nerves too much. Because what would be the point of charging someone a fee if that money was going to go on property damage all the time. However, he wouldn't voice that opinion out loud, he had no intention of making Shizuo feel any more guilt, he didn't want him to worry about it.

…

The next day after school. The four had regrouped back into their classroom, and just as they had agreed, they called for the girl to meet them properly. Shinra handed her a cup of water and sat opposite her as he took a seat on the table. "Tell us about the problem" he gestured. She seemed nervous all of a sudden, it was one thing to talk about it to an individual, but having more attention on her, must have felt intimidating. She wore the standard Raijin uniform for girls, she had long brown shoulder length hair and clutched her bag tightly. Shinra got the feeling she wasn't used to talking to many people, especially at one time. "It's ok you know. don't be nervous"

Shizuo snorted "You know. telling a person not to be nervous doesn't actually help them"

Kadota leaned back on the wall opposite them, he wasn't even sure if the girl was nervous, or merely wondering if she might sound crazy. "We'll believe you" he told her. "So no need to worry about that"

Izaya stood up from his seat at the desk and walked around to lean against it, so that he could speak clearer to her. "We're simply asking what the problem is. What you think we might be able to do to help. That is why you came here isn't it?" the three look at him, did he have to be so blunt?

The girl nodded and seemingly avoided his gaze for a moment. "I just- it's going to sound crazy"

Shinra smiled and gave her hand a little squeeze to reassure her. "It's ok. we're not going to make fun or anything"

The girl nodded and took a deep breath. "My name is Kira Miasaki. I live with my Mom and my little sister. Our life hasn't been an easy one. My dad- he passed away almost a year ago, so financially my Mom couldn't provide well for us. We had to move because we just couldn't keep up with the bills"

Shinra's eyes saddened "I'm sorry"

Kira shook her head, smiling sadly "It's ok. My sister took it the hardest. She hasn't spoken a word since my dad left us, we took her to a doctor, but- with my Mom not being able to afford much, they couldn't continue. The doctor suggested it's probably a state of shock, that it might be a mental illness, I think he called it psychogenic mutism. The tragic loss of a parent was likely the cause. She used to be so playful, and now…."

Shizuo felt useless when it came to comforting someone, it made him extremely uncomfortable when girls cried in front of him. "Hate to be the one to bring this up. But why come to us? Sounds like you already know what's wrong, you just can't afford to fix it"

Shinra and Kadota couldn't believe their friend just said that. They looked at him and he shifted in his seat on the other chair. Izaya almost grinned, but he refrained. "Shizu-chan has a point" he said aloud, causing their attention to slide over to him. "I don't know whether Shinra neglected to tell you this on the way over here earlier, but there's a fee we charge for our help if you want it. if your Mom can barely support you both, then it stands to reason that she won't be able to pay us either"

Shizuo glared at him "I didn't say that!"

Izaya chuckled at little "That is what you meant" Izaya looked at the girl, she was probably thinking why she had come to them in the first place, since they were the same age. But the fact was that she did, Izaya suspected that while they couldn't afford a professional, they could take their chances with them. "Correct me if I'm wrong. And I sincerely apologise about bringing this up, but I get the feeling no money was inherited when your dad passed away"

Kira tensed, her hands forming into fists in her lap, a few tears falling from her face. "No. my Dad never took out any insurance. I remember many times Mom kept badgering him about it. but he didn't do it….and a year and a half ago, he was diagnosed with cancer"

Silence filled the room for a moment, sadness swept over them as the girl wept quietly. Kadota chucked Shinra a box of tissues and the bespectacled man handed them to her. She smiled and took one gratefully. "We're truly sorry for your loss" Shinra told her softly.

Kira shook her head and tried to compose herself. "It's ok. I've come to cope with it. but my sister…"

Izaya really didn't want to be the only bad guy here, but he needed her to understand. "I really need an answer to my question before we go any further"

Shizuo glared at him, and Izaya didn't care that Kadota was too. They were all thinking it, why was he the only one coming off wrong? Was it just because he had the guts to voice it? Shinra sighed, while he did think what Izaya was saying was harsh, it didn't mean he wasn't right. "Miasaki, Izaya is right. I think what he's trying to say, is that we don't want to take whatever money we decide to charge from you if things are that bad. Besides, we might even be able to help you, we won't know until we try"

Kira looked at him with a solemn expression "But you said that you don't charge the fee unless you figure out the problem"

Shinra smiled "I also said that there's a ten percent non-refundable deposit. Obviously that's included in the whole fee, but still"

Kira looked down at her feet, she understood what they were asking. "Can I tell you what I know, and if I think the fee is too much, I can decide whether to accept it or not?"

The four share a glance at each other before equally nodding in agreement. Izaya sighed, it was three against one anyway, he sat himself next to Shinra and said "All right. tell us the problem"

Kira nodded, seemingly grateful for their support. "Ok. Like I said, my sister hasn't spoken a word since my dad passed. At first Mom wasn't all that worried, at first she thought it was just shock. But it's been almost a year now, and she just stares off into space, she can hear us and everything, there's just no response. She doesn't even smile anymore" Kira wiped away her tears. "I know she needs help. We just can't afford it right now. anyway, when we were forced to move out of our home, Mom thought it might help her, to start a fresh. The memories of our home we lived at might have a continuing negative affect. You see, when there was nothing more that could be done, they allowed my dad to go home, and he died there. So Mom thought, maybe it would help to move, regardless of whether we had to"

Shinra nodded, that was understandable. "I take it, that it didn't?"

Kira shook her head. "It seemed to get worse when we moved into our new house a couple weeks ago. At first, everything was fine, and then….things started to happen"

Izaya leaned forward, this was what he was interested in, though the story told might be relevant. "What kind of things?"

Kira seemed to tense. "I can hear strange noises at night. Like knocking sounds. The floors creak when no one's walking on them. I told my Mom about it; at first, she didn't believe me, but then… while I was at school, she said that when she was cleaning the kitchen, the stove…lit up by itself"

"Did it catch fire?" Izaya asked, and Shinra seemed to know why he'd asked such a question. Kira shook her head.

"No. my Mom turned it off right away. But I think it freaked her out. She said after that, things kept happening. Furniture would just relocate itself, or something"

Shizuo and Kadota had been quiet during the conversation, but they were trying to come up with possible reasons for the happenings. Shizuo was the first to speak out of the two. "Let me get this straight. Sounds to me, like you think your little sister has something to do with all this?"

Kira stared over at him, she seemed surprised at first, but then bit her lip guiltily. "I don't really know. is it possible?"

Shinra thought about his next words carefully. "It's possible for a spirit or some kind of supernatural force to take over a human being. But that's normally in cases such as a vengeful spirit. But, it would make more sense for it to possess your little sister, since kids are sometimes easier to control. Or maybe it just figured that her mutism was beneficial somehow"

"So then…if she is being possessed. It doesn't have anything to do with her behaviour?"

Izaya knew Shinra's line of thought, so it wasn't all that hard for him to take part in the conversation. "No" he began "Did anything happen in the house you were in before? Your former home?"

Kira shook her head "Not at all"

Izaya nodded and gave the girl a small smile "Then I think you might be pleased to know that it has nothing to do with your Dad. I just thought I'd clear that up first, I think that was the main reason you brought up his death, wasn't it?"

Kira nodded and smiled "Yes. It had occurred to me. But I was scared, that maybe it might be true"

"Understandable. Its not completely impossible. But his death was expected, it wasn't untimely or anything that would suggest vengeance"

Kadota thought for a moment, then something Kira mentioned earlier got him thinking. "But there was no insurance. Could that cause a person to stay around after death? Like certain things left unfinished?"

Shinra turned to him and replied "Maybe. But I don't think that would cause a person to act out violently, especially to his own family"

Kadota nodded in understanding "Yeah. that makes sense I guess"

Shizuo glanced at the girl, trying to sound sympathetic when he said "So we can rule out the dad at least"

Shinra nodded and then turned back to the girl. "You said strange things only happened after you moved. It could be the house you moved to. Can you tell us anything about it?"

Kira blinked in surprise. She'd been so sure that something was wrong with her sister, that she didn't think about what else it could have been. She felt almost embarrassed, the sheer obviousness was like a slap in the face. "Erm. This might sound strange, given what I've told you, but the house we're currently in, is much bigger than our previous one"

Izaya wasn't going to state the obvious. So he simply avoided asking the question by asking a different one. "Must have gotten a good deal then?"

Kira nodded "Yes. We tried so many places, and most of them were too far above our price limit. It didn't look like we would get anywhere, it was beginning to look like we might end up in a shelter. But the agency Mom was with, called us to discuss a house she'd found. She hadn't mentioned it before, since it's a pretty secluded place. Its pricing was too good to be true, but after paying off the debt Mom got into with the money once we sold our house, there wasn't a whole lot left. So for this place to come up-that was even just under our price range-was a miracle"

"Did they explain why it was such a low price?"

Kira shook her head "Not really. They just said that it was a bit of a fixer-upper. Mom's pretty handy you know, so with the money we saved, she didn't mind"

Shinra hummed and pushed up his glasses before speaking "I'm not suggesting for definite that it's the house that's causing your phenomenon's. But would it be ok if we came by after school tomorrow? Just to look around?"

Kira nodded "Ok. but-"

Shinra smiled "Don't worry. We'll do that for free ok? it's just so we can get a rough idea what we might be dealing with, before we ask for anything"

Kira seemed to sigh in relief "Ok. thank you, I really do appreciate it" she stood up and the others followed suit. "My Mom will be at work. So it'll just be me and my sister"

"Does she not know you've come to us?" Kadota asked

Kira waved her hands in front of her. "Oh! No no, nothing like that. it's just, she's sceptical, that's all. I don't think she wants to believe that this kind of thing can happen. I suggested we seek help from someone, but she dismissed the idea because she was worried about losing what money we had left. When I told her about you after I talked to Shinra the day before, she seemed willing to give it a try" Kira smiled at them as she made her way to the door, turning back. "I figured you might be more comfortable looking around if she weren't there. believe me, she wouldn't make it easy"

Shinra chuckled "I get that. All right, well, we'll wait by the gate for you after school tomorrow, ok?" Kira slightly bowed and then left the four to talk, Shinra turned to his friends. "What do you think?"

Shizuo snorted "It's a bit screwy" he moved to sit on the couch and lay out across it. The other's stare at him, waiting for him to elaborate. "The real estate I mean. think they could be hiding something"

Izaya stretched as he stood up from his seat on the table. "How did you come to that conclusion already?"

Shizuo shrugged "She said they couldn't tell her much except that it needs a lot of fixing. Given how many houses they looked at, I'd be willing to bet that the agent didn't want to lose any kind of sale. So they took advantage of their desperation and told them about the house"

Izaya rolled his eyes "What does that have to do with what's been happening?"

"I don't know. thought that maybe the agent knew it was haunted or something. Like they knew the reason for the low price was more then just the house's poor condition"

Shinra smiled with a nod "Good point Shizuo!"

Izaya glared in annoyance at Shinra for a second and then turned back to Shizuo. "Tst. While your point is valid. Whether they got screwed over isn't our problem. We're responsible for the activities _inside _the house"

"Still," Shinra continued "We should keep that in mind anyway. It might do us some good to remember that, we should include everything in our research, even if that means investigating the houses history; whether that be the buyers or the sellers"

Izaya huffed. Not liking the fact they he knew they were right. he then glared down at Shizuo. "Move your legs"

Shizuo raised an eyebrow "No"

"The couch is for more then one person. Move your legs"

Shizuo grinned "Make me" it wasn't often he got to annoy Izaya, so for all the times the raven had teased and got under his skin for no reason, this was payback. The fact that he thought Izaya was slightly amusing when he was irritated didn't count. Izaya huffed again and then a grin formed on his face. Shizuo frowned at that, wondering why his confidence when up slightly.

"Fine" Izaya said and then he sat himself, on top of Shizuo's legs. Shizuo was so startled by the action that he ended up snatching his legs out from under the raven. Doing exactly what Izaya wanted to begin with. Izaya chuckled. "Thank you"

Shizuo glared at him. "Fucking louse"

…

The next day after school. The four met up with Kira and followed her to the house. The more they walked, the less houses were in the immediate area, the scenery of nature changed as they turned a corner. The path leading up to the front of the house was damaged in several places. The grass was long and brown, like the roots could no longer get the necessary nutrients from the soil, in other words, it was dead. That would certainly explain some of the fixer-uppers needed. Overall, the house on the outside, didn't look at all as bad as they had expected from something low priced. Despite the surrounding plantation life, the house was bright and appealing. "Seems like your Mom's done a pretty good job on the house so far" Shinra commented as they stepped up onto the porch. She was right, the house was big.

Kira smiled as she fished out her key. "She hasn't done anything on the outside yet. Focused more on our rooms and the kitchen first. The outside of the house wasn't all that bad actually. The inside was the worst of it. she's done a pretty good job decorating it herself"

"You said that it was just you and your sister today. Where is she?" Kadota asked

"Our babysitter should be with her at the moment. My sister is only five, so she watches her while I'm at school. My Mom is a night nurse, so she's home in the mornings, leaves at twelve and then I'm home with my sister after school"

"So in other words. You experience the most activity?"

Kira nodded as she opened the door, leaving it open for her guests. "Mrs Hataki! I'm home!"

The group of four follow after her and then toe off their shoes by the door, Shinra shutting it behind them. All of a sudden, the woman in question came running at them, her face full of fear. "Kira! Tell your Mom I'm sorry. But I can't babysit anymore!"

Stunned, Kira stumbled over her next words. "W-What…? Why? What's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it! I don't want to be in this house another minute longer!" The woman grabbed her shoes hastily, the four stepped quickly to the side as she threw open the door and ran.

Kira raised her hand to stop her "Wait!" but she was already halfway down the path. Kira slumped. "Great" she looked over at them and smiled a little. "Erm. You guys can make yourselves at home, start looking around if you want. I'm just going to check on my sister" Kira then left them and started to make her way upstairs.

They stared after her for a moment and then turned to each other. "Well, something spooked her" Shinra said.

"Let's look around. We should split up, the house is bigger than I thought" Izaya said as he walked forward, intending to do just as he said. Shinra grabbed his wrist.

"Hang on. We should split into two. I'd feel a lot better, knowing what happened last time"

Izaya grinned "You're just scared to look around on your own"

Shinra pouted "Not true. It's just, safer this way"

Kadota knew Shinra had a point, but far be it for Izaya to admit such a thing. He looked at Shizuo, _especially in front of him_ "We should split into two anyway. One pair take upstairs, the other downstairs, this way, we won't end up covering the same area twice"

Izaya rolled his eyes "Fine. We'll split in two's" and of all the expected things Izaya could have done, no one predicted his next move. Izaya grabbed Shizuo's wrist and dragged him forward. "Shizu-chan and I will take upstairs"

Shinra and Kadota blinked in surprise. Except no one was more shocked then Shizuo. The blond spluttered out angrily as Izaya continued to lead him toward the stairs. "Wait a minute! Who the hell said I wanted to go with you flea!"

Kadota chuckled at Shinra's slightly defeated expression. "Don't sulk. Come on, let's get started, I know you wanted to be with Izaya, but you're stuck with me"

Shinra stammered out as he blushed. "No..no, it's fine. I don't mind, just- just surprised is all"

Kadota laughed and started looking around. "Right right. It's probably better that Shizuo is with him anyway. If Shizuo really is capable of flushing out spirits or rather, stopping them, Izaya is probably safer with him. Even though he wouldn't admit it, Izaya probably knows that too"

Shinra sighed, he couldn't help but feel useless, and slightly disappointed. "I guess that makes sense"

The two made their way throughout the downstairs area, starting with the living room. The floors were made from mahogany wood, which might be why the place was in stable condition. Aside from it's dark affect, the living room was colourful; as Kira had explained, her Mom was doing good work in fixing the rooms up. They soon made their way into the kitchen. "This was where Miasaki's mother first experienced some ghost activity" Kadota said as they looked around the kitchen.

Shinra nodded and stood to inspect the stove, bending down to get a closer look. "Yeah. she mentioned that it didn't catch fire though. I think the nozzle was just turned. Could have been a lot worse. Random fires is part of the nine criteria's of paranormal activity"

"So what are you getting at?"

Shinra hummed and stood up straight "That might have been a warning"

Kadota searched around the kitchen "Problem is, I don't see a fire extinguisher"

Shinra frowned "Better make a mental note of that. talk to Miasaki about getting one" Kadota grunted in reply and then continued on into the next room. Shinra looked up and a hand suddenly slapped the window above the stove. Shinra yelped and jumped back slightly. Kadota ran back into the room.

"Shinra! What? What is it?"

Shinra pointed at the window "There, there was a hand just now" Kadota frowned and walked toward the window.

"I don't see anything"

Shinra stepped up behind his friend "It was there"

Kadota sighed and turned to Shinra, "Hand me the torch from your bag" Shinra nodded and took off his pack, he pulled out his torch and passed it to Kadota. Shinra watched nervously as Kadota clicked it on and slowly shone the torch on the window. "What the-" Shinra's eyes widened, as expected, there was a handprint at the spot he saw; but so were several others, covering almost the whole window.

"Erm. I only saw one hand"

Kadota frowned "Yeah. which means there could be several spirits here. and they've been making their presence known for a while"

Shinra nodded and moved away from window, coaxing Kadota to do the same. "We better go and let Izaya and Shizuo know"

"Let's continue looking around down here first. We'll regroup as soon as we've collected all the information we can"

Shinra placed a shaky hand on Kadota's shoulder "Ok. yeah, that does make sense"

"You ok?"

Shinra laughed "Sure. It startled me is all"

Izaya started in the mother's room first. Being careful of her privacy, only taking note of important details. He stepped out of the room and-knowing Shizuo was probably checking out Kira's room- he decided to check out the other girl's room, knowing her sister was with her, so he was less likely to scare her.

Making his way down the hall, he got closer to the room and then stopped. He could hear a voice talking, but it was too light sounding to be Kira's. it sounded almost like a little kid. Izaya frowned. _But she told us that her sister hasn't spoken in over a year. _He quickly made his way down to the room, he stopped once he reached it and peered around the corner. sure enough, he watched the little girl as she sat on the bed, talking! Izaya concluded that Kira had lied to them, he stepped away from the wall and stood in the doorway to confront her. Izaya gasped then, his blood ran cold as fear swept over him. There was the little girl, but it wasn't her sister that she was talking to. The black shadowy figure was different to that of those spirits he'd encountered before. It was shaped like a human sure, but nothing suggested a specific gender.

Izaya couldn't stop staring at it. his eyes then widened as the figure turned to him, the only indication that it could see him was the bright colour of yellow that glowed where the shape of the head was. _It's looking right at me! _And then the figure appeared to smile as pearly white teeth flashed at him, or rather, grinned. Izaya's breathing picked up and he backed out of the room, he pressed himself against the wall outside. _Shit _he wasn't sure why, but that figure scared him more then the spirits of the girls from the death trap. Something about the way it was simply standing there, looking at him, but didn't make a move to attack him.

"Izaya" Shizuo's loud voice startled him, he looked over and realised the blond was peeking out of the room across hall. "Come see this"

Izaya couldn't get his feet to move. He was still a little shaken, just then, they heard a flushing sound and Kira came from the door at the end, the bathroom, probably. She smiled at him and then tilted her head. "Whoa. You look kind of pale"

Shizuo frowned upon hearing this, he made his way over to them and looked at Izaya. "Oi" Izaya turned his attention to him. "What's wrong?"

Izaya swallowed and a small grin formed on his face. "Nothing. Don't worry about it" Shizuo didn't look at all convinced, Izaya watched Kira walk into the room and stepped in the doorway once again, expecting to see the figure, but he didn't see anything now. _It's gone _

Shizuo's frown deepened at Izaya's sudden odd behaviour. He shoved the raven slightly, gaining back his attention. "Izaya"

Izaya looked back at him, shaking his head. "What?"

"I said I wanted to show you something"

Izaya blinked at him _he did? _"All right" Izaya followed him toward the other room, glancing back behind him. He followed Shizuo into a room that wasn't Kira's, huh. It looked more like a study, the room wasn't all that wide, but it was long and led out onto a balcony. "So what's so great about this room then?" he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Shizuo motioned for him to stand where he was, the blond opened the door to the balcony and the two stood outside. Shizuo pointed down at the ground. Izaya looked over the slightly broken wall, there was a pool below, though it didn't look very appealing to swim in. there was green moss covering half of it and the water looked unsanitary. Clearly the mother hadn't attempted to clear that out yet. "Great Shizu-chan. But I don't fancy going swimming right now"

Shizuo snorted at his sarcasm. "I wasn't suggesting that!"

Izaya grinned slightly at his rising temper. "All right. what were you suggesting?"

Shizuo kicked a little at the wall, making it crumble slightly. "The wall is broken here"

"And?"

Shizuo shrugged a little and looked down at the pool. "Maybe someone fell. It does look kind of broken from this side outwards, what do you think?" Shizuo looked beside him and realised Izaya wasn't listening, at first he was annoyed, that the raven wasn't taking him seriously. Shizuo caught the slight tension coming from Izaya and noticed he was staring off somewhere in the room. "Izaya?" he looked toward Izaya's line of sight but didn't see anything. He glanced back and Izaya stepped forward slightly, Shizuo grabbed his arm. "Oi. What's the matter?" Izaya's eyes widened and he suddenly lifted his arms up, as though to protect himself. He was forcibly pushed into Shizuo and the blond gave out a loud protest. Shizuo stumbled back with him and realised there was nothing to grab onto and both of them toppled over what was left of the wall. "Izaya!" Shizuo managed to bellow out before instincts kicked in and he managed to wrap his arms around Izaya protectively.

Shinra and Kadota heard the yell from the downstairs lounge, as well as Kira from her sister's bedroom. The two males ran out and dashed hastily up the stairs, meeting Kira in the hall. "It came from the study!" she cried, they ran across the wooden floor and into the room where the other two had been. Shinra and Kadota ran outside when they noticed the balcony. The pool's water below rippled rapidly outwards, a sure sign that it had been disturbed.

It didn't take them long to figure out what had happened to their two friends. Shinra grasped the wall in fear. "Izaya!"


	9. The cursed house part 2

'_I feel so light'_

'_Where am I?' _

'_What happened?' _

'_Am I floating?' _

'_So peaceful…'_

'_Huh? There's a light up there…can I touch it?' _

_A hand suddenly grabbed his wrist_

'_Wait! No! don't take me away…I-' he looked down into the depths below, something was tugging on his ankle. _

'_It's pulling me down?' he looked back up at the light, the hand on his wrist tightened and he suddenly remembered falling. _

'_Then this hand….' His eyes widened_

'_Shizu-chan?' the tug on his ankle stopped and the strong hand pulled him up. _

Shizuo shot out of the water, gasping as he fell over the ledge, he coughed and spluttered. "Shizuo!" Shizuo grunted and coughed again before he clutched onto Kadota's hand.

Shinra sighed heavily and knelt down to help. "Where's Izaya?"

Spluttering again, Shizuo felt a heavy pull on his hand. Realising he must have a hold on the raven, he heaved his arm up. "Don't…worry, I got…him" he managed to breath out raggedly before pulling Izaya up from the water.

Izaya gasped for air, he coughed harshly and reached for some kind of surface desperately. Shizuo pulled him forward as Kadota helped him out of the water. Izaya clutched onto the ledge and Shizuo and Shinra pulled him out. On his hands and knees, the raven spluttered out whatever water was left in his lungs. Shizuo leaned forward, hands on his knees as they both took heavy breaths.

"Are you both ok?" Kadota asked with worry in his tone, they were under the water for at least five minutes.

"You scared the crap out of us" Shinra added, knelt down beside Izaya, a hand on his back.

Kira ran out to them with blankets, she handed them to Kadota. "Here. come on; I've started the fire in the living room"

"Thanks" Kadota replied and handed a blanket to Shizuo, the blond took gratefully and wrapped himself in it. he frowned down at Izaya. _The hell was that? he definitely didn't just stumble into me just now; did he see something? _

Kadota handed Shinra the blanket and the boy wrapped his friend around his back and shoulders. "Izaya? Let's get inside ok, can you stand?"

Izaya nodded, tugging the blanket tighter around his shivering body and stood up. He lightly batted Shinra's hand away from his arm. "I'm all right…." Izaya glanced at Shizuo, and then made his way toward the house.

Kadota and Shinra stood beside their friends as Izaya and Shizuo sat near the fireplace, still wrapped in the blankets, their hair damp, their shirts hanging over the mantle. "What happened?" Shinra asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"That's what I want to know" Shizuo said, causing them to look at him weirdly. He glanced at Izaya who was sat opposite him. "You saw something before, didn't you?"

Izaya remained quiet.

Kadota and Shinra then looked at him "What did you see?" Shinra asked

Shizuo frowned and stood up, he walked toward Izaya and hauled him up by the blanket. "What the hell did you see flea!? Whatever it was almost fucking killed us! So I think I have a right to know!" Izaya frowned but avoiding his gaze and Shizuo released him with an angry huff. Izaya slumped back to the floor.

Kira stood awkwardly off to the side "I'm- I'm just going to check on my sister" she then left them in the living room and made her way up the stairs.

The four were silent for a moment, Shizuo had taken his seat back on the floor opposite the raven. Nobody knew what to say, where to start next, Shizuo kept his glare on Izaya. He felt the force in which Izaya had been thrown against him, he knew the other male was pushed. He swiped a hand through his still damp hair and sighed heavily.

"I saw a hand" Shinra finally spoke, breaking the silence that no one else dared to. All attention on him now. "In the kitchen. It slapped the glass, looked like it came from the outside"

Kadota sighed "That's not all. When we shone the torch at the window. there were several handprints, not just from the one Shinra saw"

Shizuo raised an eyebrow "So you think there's several spirits here or something?"

"Looks that way. Would explain the things Kira told us, there's definitely more than one here"

"But only one has shown up so far…" Izaya spoke quietly, he couldn't get that image out of his head, the figure in the girl's room, it wasn't like any spirit he'd encountered before.

"What do you mean?" Kadota asked; by the way Izaya had spoken, whatever he saw had frightened him, that much he could tell.

"You did see something, didn't you?" Shizuo asked, though his voice was less angry then before, he too noticed how tense Izaya was.

Izaya nodded, taking a breath, he glanced at the stairs, making sure Kira wasn't coming back yet. Izaya leaned back against the couch. "When we were searching upstairs. I heard someone talking, it was Miasaki's sister"

"That can't be right, she said her sister hasn't spoken in months" Shinra said

Izaya frowned at him "She was talking Shinra. At first, I thought maybe she was talking to her. I was going to confront her about it, and that's when I saw it…" Izaya wrapped his arms around his legs.

Shinra gulped "It…?"

Izaya nodded slowly. "I don't know what it was. The shape was human…but, it was all shadowy, like it didn't have a normal body. It….it looked right at me, it knew I could see it, and that grin…it's eyes, they were yellow…"

Shizuo looked at Izaya, he looked absolutely terrified, he sighed, feeling slightly guilty that he'd yelled at him just now. "Was that the thing you saw in the study?"

Izaya looked at him "Yes. He ran right toward me, it must have pushed me backwards"

Kadota let out the breath he was holding. "That would explain how you both fell into the pool"

Shinra furrowed his brows in thought "I think we should tell them to stay somewhere else for a couple of days. What if one of them is attacked next?"

"You have a point. But then what are we supposed to do?"

"We'll get the laptops and start researching the house, and if we stay here, we might be able to get an idea of what we're really dealing with"

"You're kidding right?" Shizuo asked, Izaya blinked at him in surprise, he didn't expect the blond to object so quickly. "This isn't a game. We're not qualified to deal with this"

Kadota placed his hand on his shoulder "I know how you feel. But do you really want to walk away now? leave Miasaki and her little sister alone with all this?"

Shizuo slumped "No. but, they need professionals"

Izaya stood up and made his way over to the fireplace, he grabbed both of their shirts and chucked Shizuo's at him. "They can't afford it Shizu-chan. We're their best hope now" he placed his now dry shirt back on.

Shizuo frowned up at him, his own shirt back on, slightly relieved at the warmth. "And you're ok with that?"

Izaya gave him a grin "Worried?"

Shizuo rolled his eyes "Tch. As if"

Izaya chuckled and then he caught sight of Kira as she made her way back into the living room.

"She's sleeping now"

Shinra smiled "That's good. Erm, listen, we're going to go back and-"

Kira's eyes widen "You can't leave!"

"No no don't worry. We're coming back, just have to get our laptops. But, is there somewhere else you can stay for a while? We don't want you and your family in danger. We're going to stay here tonight, or as long as we need to"

"I don't know if-" All five turn to the front door as it opened and then Kira's Mum walked in. they sighed in relief. She looked at them all in her living room, she shut the door, toed off her shoes and made her way to them. "Hi Mom. You're home early today"

"I got off early" she hugged her daughter and then glanced around at their guests.

Kira stammered an apology and began to introduce them. "Mom. These are my classmates from school, the ones I was telling you about that want to help us" She gestured to Shinra first. "This is Shinra Kishitani. Izaya Orihara. Shizuo Heiwajima, and Kyohei Kadota"

The woman looked at them with suspicion. They were clearly just kids. "And you think you can solve our problems? You're no older than my daughter"

"Mom" Kira began to protest

"I don't see a reason to put any faith in you. don't you have any equipment? There's not even some kind of priest with you. you're high school boys, just looking for a way to get some money"

"Mom no! they want to help us"

Shinra walked toward her, he could sense Shizuo was about to lose it, he smiled at her and lay his palm on his chest. "I know we don't look like people that who could help you. But you'll see that there's a lot more we can offer if you give us a chance. Would it help if I told you a little about us?"

The woman folded her arms, frowning down at the boy. "If you must"

Shinra nodded "I've been studying the paranormal for most of my teen years. I don't take anything as a joke, I'm not here as just some kid playing around. I really want to help you, and I think we can. Izaya is our spiritualist, he's already sensed something here that explains what you've been experiencing. Shizuo actually comes from a shrine, so technically he is kind of a priest. And Kadota- well"

"He's the muscle" Izaya added with a slight grin toward him, Kadota rolled his eyes.

"I don't know a whole lot about spirits and paranormal stuff, it's true. I guess you could say I'm the level-headed one, I like to think that my friends know they can rely on me for whatever reason"

Shinra and Shizuo smiled. Izaya shook his head, not willing to admit how grateful he was, and that he was a little awestruck with Kadota's speech just now.

Shinra turned back to the woman, she had unfolded her arms and seemed to be leaning toward trusting them. "I know we're young. But we're going to do everything we can to help"

Her expression softened lightly, and she gave him a little smile. "You make a rather convincing argument. And your confidence is reassuring, I must admit. I hate to say it, but I think I'm willing to give you boys a chance"

Shinra's smile widened "That's great! We'll do our very best!" Kira smiled in relief, letting out a sigh. "We want to stay here, if that's all right. it would be a lot safer though, if you and your daughters went and stayed somewhere else for a few days. Maybe a hotel or something that's close by?"

Miasaki tilted her head, she didn't know how serious they were about the situation, she found herself smiling. "That's very nice of you to say. But it's out of the question, the money we have left needs to be spent wisely"

Izaya looked up from his phone, having been browsing the internet while Shinra continued to convince the woman. He knew he'd have to be the one to bring up a certain important detail. His friends seemingly having forgotten about it. "What Shinra said is true. We will do our best. Has your daughter explained any fees to you?"

Everyone looked at him, Shizuo narrowed his eyes, he couldn't believe they were going to charge someone for help when they were clearly struggling, and probably scared. He opened his mouth to retort, but he didn't get the chance.

"I knew there would be fees. But that was before I realised that neither of you are professionals" the woman said, and Shizuo grinned.

_Take that flea! _The blond thought with amusement

Izaya remained calm and placed his phone back in his pocket. "I realise your concerns. But you said it yourself that you are willing to trust us. We're not playing around, we're trying to start a business, and everyone has to start somewhere. We realise that we might not look like much right now, so I don't think it's unreasonable when I say that we require only a deposit fee that's non-refundable, simply for our efforts. If we're able to solve the problem, then the full charge of the fee will imply"

Shizuo gritted his teeth "You-" Kadota held his hand up, trying to calm Shizuo down. Shizuo growled but didn't say anything more. They watched as Izaya and Miasaki simply stared at one another, neither one was willing to back down it seemed.

Shinra wanted to bring the money into the conversation, he really had, but he wasn't all that good at being assertive. What Izaya said might have sounded harsh, but it needed to be put across.

Miasaki finally receded and frowned. "I suppose that we don't have a choice. I can't afford a professional, I know some of them charge by the day. So what you're offering seems fair. What amount do you require for a deposit?"

Izaya smiled a little in triumph that he'd won, he then turned to Shinra, but the boy didn't seem like he had any idea what fees they were going to charge. _He's hopeless _Izaya turned back to the Mum. "A full charge of 40,000 yen will stand if we're able to solve the problem. A deposit of 16,000 I think will cover us. Leaving the remaining 26,000 to be paid after this is over"

Shinra flinched, that seemed a little high, but he wasn't sure it was completely unreasonable.

"Izaya!" obviously Shizuo thought so too it seemed. "That's ridiculous!"

Izaya ignored Shizuo for now, waiting for a response from the woman. She looked at him for a moment longer and then nodded. "I'll get my cheque book" and then she left the room.

Kira frowned, she felt bad that her Mum was going to spend her money, knowing that she wouldn't get this money back, and on top of that they were supposed to go to a hotel too? "I wouldn't have come to you guys if I knew this was going to be the sort of fees you'd charge" she looked at Izaya, almost glaring at him. The raven didn't seem to care as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"She's right. you're taking advantage of their situation!" Shizuo yelled at him, Izaya narrowed his eyes at the blond but didn't reply.

Shinra smiled nervously "Maybe we can come up with another arrangement"

Izaya snorted "What we've asked isn't unreasonable. We're the ones risking our lives here. We've had one incident already. Of course, we can always back out now" they didn't respond to that. "Didn't think so"

Miasaki came back, still unsure about the amount, but she handed Izaya the cheque regardless. The raven looked at the amount, satisfied it was right and nodded. "Good. Now-" and then he surprised them all and ripped it up in front of her. "Use that money to go and stay at the 020 licenced apartment. I've already checked the availability. There are rooms available. It might be a little more than the deposit fee, but it was the best I could find"

Everyone fell silent; nobody expected what just happened. Izaya grinned inwardly, feeling the surprise practically radiating off his friends. Sometimes though, he wished they wouldn't assume he was always being an asshole. Miasaki smiled softly. "I didn't expect that. I apologise for misjudging you"

Kira lowered her head. "Me too"

Izaya shrugged and turned to the others. "We'll get our laptops and some supplies, then come back in a couple of hours" all they could do was nod, still too surprised to speak. Izaya then turned back to the woman. "You should leave now, while whatever is haunting this place has retreated for now. do you have a spare key?" Miasaki nodded "Would it be all right if we take it?" Miasaki turned to her daughter, as if trying to confirm her own trust, if her daughter trusted them, then she would too. Kira smiled with a light nod. Miasaki then retrieved the key from a draw in the cabinet of the living room. She handed it over and Izaya gave it to Shinra to keep safe.

"I still have my doubts about you all. But please be careful; while you're staying in my house, I feel responsible"

Shinra chuckled a little and rested his arm on Izaya's shoulder. "Don't worry about us. We'll manage"

…

**Night 1:**

After confirming with their own families that they'd be staying at one another's houses for a couple of days, excluding Shizuo of course; the four were back in the house, alone. Kira and her mother, along with the little girl had gone to stay at the apartment.

By now, it was night, so the four decided it would be the best idea if they remained together in the living room. Shinra, Izaya and Kadota brought sleeping bags with them; since Shizuo was the tallest, he would sleep on the couch, much to Izaya's disappointment. Shinra and Izaya had brought their laptops and were researching everything they had witnessed and learnt so far about what was going on in the house.

Shizuo wasn't sure what he should do, so he decided to check around the house once more; Kadota went with him.

They started by going back into the kitchen, where Shinra had first seen the handprint. "So. Are you able to sense anything spiritual?" Kadota asked after a few minutes of looking around.

Shizuo leaned against the fridge as he spoke. "Dunno. I've never been able to so far, though I've never really been in a situation to try"

"Do you think our guess is right? about there being more than one spirit I mean"

Shizuo shrugged and walked over to the sink to retrieve a glass of water. "Maybe. But who knows. Those handprints could have been from owners before"

Kadota had to chuckle at that, it almost sounded as though Shizuo might have been sceptical. "You could be right. I didn't see what Shinra saw, but he was pretty freaked"

Shizuo frowned as he replied, an annoyed expression crossing his features. "Yeah. though I don't doubt that something _is _here. I can't deny what happened upstairs, something did attack us….or at least….Izaya"

Kadota noticed Shizuo's hesitant tone, he looked over at him. "Something wrong?" Kadota walked over to him.

"Yeah. the water isn't coming out of here"

"Really?" Kadota looked down, and Shizuo turned the tap once more to prove his point. "Plumbing acting up?"

"I guess. It's possible right?"

Kadota nodded and tilted his head toward the doorway. "Let's check out the-" Kadota was cut off as they became engulfed in darkness, everything soon became very quiet. "Damn. Now there's a power shortage?" he almost flinched when a hand touched his shoulder.

"Relax. It's just me" Shizuo quickly reassured him. "Let's go back to Shinra and Izaya for now. the whole house is probably dark"

"I suppose it makes sense to regroup and-" Kadota was interrupted again, this time by a loud scream.

"Let's go!" Shizuo grabbed Kadota's wrist so they didn't separate and made his way as quickly as possible back to the living room, without bumping into anything. As they made their way into the living room, they were relieved to see that the fire was still burning, so they at least had some light. Also, Izaya and Shinra appeared to be ok. yet they were standing in the middle of the floor, Shinra was practically clinging to the raven as they were staring up at the ceiling. Kadota couldn't help but ask the question, even though they appeared to be fine. "Are you both ok? we heard a scream"

Izaya nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on the ceiling, this caused Shizuo and Kadota to finally look up. "That didn't come from us" the raven finally replied. "There's something in the ceiling…."

"_In _the ceiling?" Kadota asked

"Yes. It started in the walls at first, and now…" And then they heard it, a loud scratching sound that stretched across the living room. It sounded as though someone was dragging long nails across the ceiling.

"Ok. I heard _that_" Shizuo commented, moving closer toward his other two friends protectively. Kadota shuffled closer too, feeling slightly vulnerable stood by himself.

**Knock knock knock **

They jumped, it was loud, and it seemed to be coming from more than just the ceiling, there was thudding in the walls too. The four glanced around hastily, neither of them willing to move. It suddenly stopped and an eerie silence followed. "I- I think it stopped" Shinra stammered out, finally releasing his hold on Izaya's arm.

"Maybe we should sleep some" Kadota said once they finally relaxed a little. "The power is out. So there's not much we can do tonight. It's too dangerous to explore this place at night, we should remain together until day at least"

Shinra nodded, very much liking that idea. "I agree"

The three then spread out their sleeping bags around the fireplace, and Shizuo lay his thin cover over the couch.

"We'll start again tomorrow. Everything always looks different during the day" Kadota said as he doused the fire and the room was covered in darkness. They settled into their sleeping bags and hoped for at least one peaceful night.

…..

Izaya opened his eyes, he frowned in confusion when he found himself in the study. _How did I get here? _Regardless, he took the time to look around, noting that it was light outside. _It's already morning, that's weird. _Izaya looked over at the doorway and noticed there was a woman standing there, she looked at him with an agitated glare. Her mouth opened as though she was speaking to him, but no sound came from her lips. She then disappeared down the hall, Izaya couldn't help himself, and he followed her. Once they got downstairs, Izaya noticed how the house seemed to look different. The décor and furniture to be exact. The next thing he knew, something akin to a broom was thrown at his feet. He looked down at it, and then back up to meet another person other than the woman he'd seen just a moment ago. Again-it was a man this time- he spoke, but no sound came out. Izaya frowned, he opened his mouth to say something back, but the man walked away. Without really thinking about it though, Izaya picked up the broom and made his way into the living room.

After sweeping the whole floor, Izaya found himself standing in front of a grandfather clock. There was a cloth in his hand now, for some reason, he felt drawn to the clock and rubbed at a smudge on the glass. He smiled. then he turned his head as he felt someone grasp his arm. It was the man again, and this time he was yelling, or at least, it looked like he was. Izaya tried to yank himself away, the man pointed at the clock and then shoved him away from it. He then pointed away from them. Izaya watched him walk away, confused by what the man wanted. He looked at the clock again, he moved his hand to touch the handle of the glass that shielded the inside. He pulled his hand back then, realising that something was there, he frowned _A hex? _

Suddenly he was overcome with a wave of dizziness, he closed his eyes for a moment, when he opened them again, he found himself outside, near the pool. Izaya blinked, there was a rake in his hand now, he looked over the pool and started to rake out the fallen leaves toward himself. As he bent down to retrieve his gathered pile, a hand suddenly grabbed his head and he was forced into the water. Izaya flailed his arms, trying to push away from the water, but the hold was strong, and he felt his lungs burn. He opened his mouth to scream for help, that was the wrong thing to do as he got another lungful of water. Pretty soon, he found himself slowing down his ministrations to get free, and then….he stopped completely.

Izaya bolted up from his position on the floor, his breathing rapid, he fisted his hands around the bag, trying to calm down. "Shit…" he whispered, he couldn't stop shaking, he looked around; his friends were still asleep. He was somewhat grateful that he hadn't woken them up, though he was aware that it was still a little dark. He looked at his phone, 05:43. Izaya swiped a hand over his hair, a small grimace on his face when he noticed his hair was damp. He gasped lightly, in his dream….wasn't he….in water? Izaya shook his head. He squashed down his fear, his hair was damp most likely from sweat. "Get a grip…." He muttered to himself, but he couldn't shake off the dream, it felt so real. He realised, that he might have had another post-cognitive dream. "Not again" he needed to get up and walk around for a bit, if only to assure himself that he was fine. He looked over at his friends, neither of them had woken up, he glanced over at Shizuo, sleeping soundly on the couch. He sighed and then got up from the floor, stretching.

He took his phone with him and decided to take a wander. It was lighter now, and they hadn't heard anything during the night, so for now, he felt it was safe to do so. As he made his way into the hall by the stairs, he glanced at the grandfather clock that was up against the wall. "The same one from my dream…" he tilted his head, it was obvious the clock didn't belong to Kira's mother, and that it most likely belonged to the family that appeared in his dream. The man and the woman….

Izaya frowned at it, why had he been so drawn to it in the dream? And what was with that hex in his hand? He reached up to grasp the small handle of the glass case-

A loud shuffling sound caught his attention.

His head snapped up to the side, there was nothing there.

Frowning, Izaya made his way across the floor and then climbed the stairs, his dream had started in the study after all.

Shizuo shifted on the couch, he opened his eyes blearily and, realising it was still a little dark, he turned over to go back to sleep. As he did so, it was then he noticed that one of the sleeping bags were empty. He sat up, feeling more awake now, he looked around the living room floor, seeing that Kadota and Shinra were still sleep, that could only mean that the absent one was- "Izaya…" Shizuo sighed, it was most likely he'd woken up to just use the bathroom. Speaking of- Shizuo decided he might as well go now that he was up anyway. Yet, he couldn't shake the worrying notion he was getting. "He's fine" Shizuo muttered, but it wasn't working, sighing again, he got up off the couch and left the room quietly so as not to wake the two still asleep. _No point in waking them up for nothing _he was sure it was nothing, at least that's what he kept telling himself. He shuffled up the stairs sluggishly, still sleepy after all, and made his way toward the bathroom. It wasn't occupied, he shrugged a little, still muttering that everything was fine.

After relieving himself, Shizuo began to make his way across the landing. As he passed the little girls room, he caught sight of someone standing in the centre. He halted and turned his attention to the room, nothing. Shizuo frowned, he shook his head. "I can't see spirits. My mind's playing tricks on me" Shizuo bit his lip, no, he definitely saw someone there. He didn't want to dwell on it for now and decided to go in search of Izaya instead. "Where is that flea anyway" he muttered as he left the room.

Izaya stood beside the window of the balcony, the door was shut now, but he couldn't help wondering why his dream started from here. "This was where our accident happened…" It was possible he'd just appeared here from his own memory. A sudden creak on the floor caused him to freeze. He glanced up into the reflection in the door's window, but he couldn't see anything. His heart sped up and he gulped when he heard the creaking again, louder this time. He turned around, half expecting to see that shadowy figure from before, there was nothing in the room with him. Sighing in relief, he leaned against the window and then-

_Izaya~ _

The raven froze, he was almost positive that someone whispered his name just now.

_Izaya~ _

Izaya flinched and clenched his eyes shut. "Go away!" he shouted

Shizuo stopped when he heard someone yell, it was loud enough that he heard it. then his instincts kicked it when he remembered just who he was looking for. "Izaya!"

Izaya opened his eyes again and his blood ran cold. There, right in front of him, was that same figure from before. eyes staring straight into his, pinning him in place. It was too close to run away from. "Please….please go away…" his voice quiet. A hand reached up toward him, Izaya followed it with his eyes as it reached for his throat, he just couldn't move. He closed his eyes tightly, just as the hand almost closed around his neck-

"Izaya!" and the hand immediately retreated. Shizuo ran into the room and instantly, the figure disappeared. The blond ran toward the still form of his somewhat friend and grabbed his arms. That was the wrong thing to do, Izaya instantly started to struggle against him. "What the-"

"No! let me go! Get off me!"

Shizuo now noticed Izaya's eyes were shut and he shook him. "Izaya! It's me! Calm down! Open your eyes!"

Izaya yelled louder, and this time, Shinra and Kadota woke up as a result.

The two quickly shot out of bed when they realised neither Izaya nor Shizuo was with them.

Izaya tried to pull away from Shizuo's grip, but the blond wouldn't allow it. "Izaya! It's me, open your fucking eyes damn it!"

Hearing a familiar voice that wasn't his own, Izaya's eyes snapped open and he stilled all movements. "Sh-Shizu-chan…?"

Shizuo let out a breath and his grip loosened. "What the hell was that?"

Izaya didn't answer him, his hand came around Shizuo's arm and gripped it firmly. "I-I thought…that thing…he was here…"

Shizuo frowned, glancing around the room "I don't see anything" he then berated himself for his stupidity, of course he didn't see it, but….back in that room…

"It said my name….."

Shizuo looked back down at the raven "What?"

"My name….it said my name Shizu-chan…" only now Shizuo felt Izaya tremble under his touch. He heard footsteps coming toward the room, their friends most likely heard Izaya's yelling by now.

Shinra and Kadota ran into the room, panting and worried sick. "Are you both ok!?" Kadota shouted.

Shizuo startled as he felt Izaya cling to him more and bury his face against his chest. _He's really scared _Shizuo sighed and couldn't help but wrap his arms around the smaller male. "You're ok. its all right now, you're safe"

Shinra's fist clenched unseen, a slight hint of jealously in his eyes as he watched Shizuo comfort his friend. Honestly, the two weren't even really friends, so what gives? Shinra shook his head, his fist unclenching. _Why am I even jealous? This is ridiculous _he followed Kadota into the room, deciding to focus on seeing if Izaya was ok.. "What happened?"

Shizuo looked over at them, keeping his arms around Izaya, since the raven had made no move to pull away, his trembling had stopped though. "He's all right. but I think we need to be a lot more careful now. meaning that neither of us go anywhere alone"

Kadota nodded "I agree with you there" he looked at Izaya "Was it the same one from before Izaya?"

Only then, did the raven realise what he was doing. He quickly pulled away from Shizuo, slightly embarrassed that he'd clung to him, despite their obvious dislike for each other. "Yes" he replied, taking a deep breath to make sure he was calm. "It said my name"

"What were you even doing up here at this hour?" Shinra asked, taking a few steps forward. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"I had a dream. There was a man and a woman living here before, they kept yelling at me, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. I think they must have had a servant or something, at least, that's what I could grasp out of the situation"

Shinra sighed "You had another dream?"

Izaya nodded, causing Shizuo to frown in confusion, the raven ignored his stare and continued. "I found myself outside, near the pool, I was raking leaves, and when I bent down to collect them….someone tried to drown me, I couldn't tell if they succeeded or not because I woke up"

Shizuo pondered on what was said and then- "It makes sense. Since we were pushed into the pool yesterday"

Izaya decided it was probably best to tell Shizuo about his other ability. They were all in this together after all, and he needed Shizuo to understand what these dreams might mean. "So how would you explain the two others?" He asked, looking at Shizuo now.

"I don't know"

"I didn't tell you before, because I didn't know if it could have been a one off. But this is the second time it's happened now, and the situation is completely different"

"What are talking about?"

Shinra cleared his throat, wondering if Shizuo might believe it if Izaya wasn't the one telling him. "We think Izaya has an ability called post-cognitive dreams"

Shizuo blinked at him and then tilted his head "What?"

Izaya rolled his eyes, he was actually half hoping that Shizuo knew what it meant, he decided to elaborate. "It's when a person experiences memory's that aren't their own. A memory that they couldn't have known, something that's already happened. This has happened to me twice now. it's hard to describe, but in the dream, it's me, but it's not….it's me living a memory of another" Shizuo seemed to stare blankly at him for a moment. "Shizu-chan? Did your brain malfunction?" Izaya grinned slightly at him, yes, teasing him was better, it stopped him from thinking about that little moment the two had shared. But Shizuo didn't get angry or even seemed annoyed.

"You shouldn't go off by yourself" that was it, that was all Shizuo said to him before leaving the room entirely. The three watched him leave with surprise etched on their faces.

"What's with that?" Kadota said

Izaya huffed and then somewhat grinned. "He's probably embarrassed. I don't think he intended to hug me" Izaya chuckled and then walked toward the exit.

**Night 2:**

The four were in the living room, Izaya and Shinra were sat next to one another with their laptops. Shizuo and Kadota were just sat on the floor, keeping a listen out for strange noises, while playing cards. The power had seemingly returned halfway during the day, to which, they were grateful for.

With the information gained from his dream, Izaya decided it would be best if he tried to research the history of occupants that had lived here before. he grinned, silently thanking his parents for his small amount of hacking knowledge, because it seemed to work. Once he'd gotten past the wall of security of the house's current estate broker, he was able to get into the houses records. _Bingo_ he thought as his eyes began to read over the information. He was rather impressed with himself, having managed to go as far back as 100 hundred years. He clicked on a link of newsprints and his brows furrowed as an article caught his attention immediately. "Fuck" he said aloud before he could stop himself. The other three turn to him when they heard him curse.

Shinra peeked over at Izaya's laptop "What's wrong?"

"I think I'm on the right track"

Kadota and Shizuo stood up and walk around to stand behind the couch. "What makes you say that?" Kadota asked as the two leaned over.

"I hacked into the houses records through its current real estate broker" Izaya almost chuckled when he heard gasps' from each of his friends.

"You did what?" Shinra was the first to voice his surprise.

This time, Izaya did chuckle "Don't be so surprised, I picked up a few tricks from my dad after all"

Shinra stared at him for a little while longer and then shook his head. "Anyway. What did you find?"

Shizuo was frowning at the back of Izaya's head, then glanced at the laptop _Sketchy flea _

"It looks like it goes back as far as the early 1900's" Izaya pointed at the headline of the article he'd found. "Look at this"

Shinra read the headline out loud "Servant of the Tanaka family dies in freak drowning accident" they all gasp "Izaya, your dream!"

Izaya nodded "And just to point out Shizu-chan, I didn't see this article before that"

Shizuo growled "I wasn't questioning it!" Izaya chuckled and then carried on showing them what he'd found. "I hate you"

Izaya grinned "Do you hug everyone you hate, Shizu-chan?"

Shizuo almost blushed "Shut up! You clung to me!"

"Whatever" Shinra sighed, though on the inside he was secretly pleased that the two were back to normal. Shaking his head, he pointed to the screen.

"Look" they turn their attention back to the page. "Mr Tanaka dies just days after servant, cause unknown"

Izaya tapped his fingers against the laptop, so far, only one death linked to his dream, but….. "That man was in my dream too. And I was right about the other being their servant"

Shizuo clenched his hand around the back of the couch. If Izaya's dream really did mean something, and he had been right about two of the people, then that meant- "Do you think that the servant was murdered?"

Izaya was almost sure of it "I do"

Kadota stood straight and moved back to the front and sat down "So now what?"

"I'll keep looking. You said that you and Shinra saw several handprints on the window, right?" Kadota nodded "So there's got to be more then one explanation for that"

Shinra looked at his own screen, shrugging, he was probably way off anyway, and he closed the lid of the laptop. "I got nothing"

"You know" Kadota began "It could be just one making those print's"

Shizuo suddenly remembered what he had seen in the little girl's room. At first, he wasn't quite sure he'd even seen anything, because he had been too busy worrying about Izaya. "Upstairs, I thought I saw something, back in the little kid's room. It was when I was searching for the flea"

Izaya clicked his tongue at the annoying nickname Shizuo had given him, then turned to face him. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Shizuo shrugged "Because I wasn't sure if I actually saw anything to begin with. You're the spiritualist after all"

Izaya sighed and then turned back to his laptop to finish what he was doing. "You should go upstairs and see if it shows up again"

Shizuo frowned "Hell no!"

Izaya chuckled "Scared?"

Shizuo grit his teeth _You're the scared one _he refrained from saying that, because Izaya had been really frightened, and he didn't have it in him to bring that up, despite how the raven pissed him off. Before he could come up with a reasonable come back, Kadota spoke first.

"I'll go with you. We already agreed that neither of us should explore this house at night by ourselves" Kadota grinned over at Shizuo, as if to help the blond hide the fact that he really didn't want to go by himself. "Right?"

Shizuo huffed and then nodded "If you say so"

The two then made their way back up the stairs, leaving Izaya and Shinra alone. Shinra looked over at the laptop. "Any luck?" he saw the boy frown as he stared intently at the screen. "What?"

Izaya's eyes roamed over the pages that he'd opened, flicking back and forth between them. "They're the same…"

"Huh? What's the same?"

"The date….they're, they're all the same…"

Shinra tilted his head in confusion, not quite sure what his friend meant. "Izaya?"

"Look" Izaya pointed at the screen. "Family tragedy as teen girl dies from a fall down the stairs" he then clicked the next page "Man dies in horrible explosion due to a boiler malfunction" Next page "A boy, aged 8, dies from an unexplained illness" Next page "A woman is killed by her husband who strangled her to death, who says he has no memory of ever doing it" Next page "And the most recent, which only happened at around five years ago. A man dies from a fall as the wall suddenly breaks away from the balcony. That would explain the broken wall, Shizu-chan said something about maybe someone being falling from there, he was actually right"

Shinra shuddered "Ok….that's a lot of deaths to have in one house"

Izaya nodded "And now we know why the place was so cheap, they knew about the people that died here"

Shinra shifted in his seat, he was becoming nervous. "So….what does that mean?"

Izaya bit his lip "I'm not sure. But every time someone dies here, they've all died on the very same date, June the 12th"

Shinra gasped "Izaya, that's in two days!"


	10. The cursed house part 3

Shizuo and Kadota were stood behind the couch, staring blankly at their friends, having been told of Izaya's recent findings. "That's bullshit!" Shizuo bellowed, unable to keep his temper under control, he gripped the back of the couch. "All those dates is just a coincidence!" Izaya rolled his eyes as he shifts sideways to look at the blond with a frown.

"_All _of them? All fucking five of them? Seven actually, if you include the servant and Mr Tanaka"

Shizuo growled down at him, Izaya had a point, but it was just- he couldn't imagine people dying on the exact same date in the same damn house. "Let's just say for arguments sake you're right-"

Izaya raised his eyebrows "I am right. the articles prove that"

"Shut up! Let me finish. Say you are right; how does that help us now?"

Shinra hummed in thought, and they fell into silence for a moment. "Hey. Izaya, did anything weird happen in the house before that servant drowned? Like, was there any mention of any unexplained mishaps?"

Izaya looked at the screen, flicking back to the first page "I don't know. I don't think so, I could only get records going as far back as that first death"

"So. Would it be totally odd if we assumed that all the sudden deaths and paranormal activities happening in this house are his fault?"

Izaya blinked at Shinra, and then shook his head "Actually, that does make sense"

"It does?" Shinra felt himself become giddy; he didn't expect to be right.

"I don't know how, but I think you're right. he was killed by his owner after all. I mean, wouldn't you be pretty pissed off that you served the family for so long, only for one of them to kill you for no reason?"

Shizuo and Kadota were now sat on the floor, trying to take in the information as much as possible. "What exactly are you suggesting here?" Shizuo asked "We've got some kind of- vengeful ghost spirit thing that's moping around killing its occupants?"

Izaya huffed "Well, try not to sound too sceptical" Shizuo narrowed his eyes at the sarcasm "It sounds very likely"

"But- everyone else, they didn't have anything to do with it….why go after them?" Kadota said, not even hiding the sorrow from his tone, he felt sorry for them, they didn't deserve that.

"I don't think he cared. He was angry I guess, I'm just not sure how he did it"

Shizuo tilted his head "What do you mean? isn't it obvious? If he was able to push us off the balcony, then doesn't it make sense that he would be able to do the same to the others? The teenager was pushed down the stairs, the man fell off the balcony-"

"While some of them explanations are plausible, how would you explain the boiler room explosion?"

"Spirits can possess objects right?"

"Yes. but what about the boy? he died of an illness; how do you explain that?"

Shizuo stood up, fists clenched "I don't know!"

Izaya narrowed his eyes "What exactly are you getting angry about? Is it because I'm right? that you can't stand the fact that you come from a priest family and you can't come up with one _logical _explanation other than the obvious? That you can't even believe that something else might be going on here? or maybe you refuse, simply because you don't even want to deal with any of it, much how the way your parents dealt with you"

Shinra and Kadota gasp and look toward the blond, who was barely holding his anger in at this point. Izaya knew he had gone too far, he felt his fingers tremble a little over the keyboard, he didn't dare open his mouth to even attempt an apology. Any moment now, his laptop was going flying across the room and Shizuo was going to kick the crap out of him. Shizuo gritted his teeth, eyes burning with anger as he glared at the raven sitting on the couch. "I'd stay out of my way from now on. Izaya" he then stormed out of the room. Izaya watched him leave, guilt found its way into his chest. He sighed and narrowed his eyes, looking over at the screen, not wanting to see his friends' accusing stares that he knew he was getting.

"Izaya. That was going too far, don't you think?" Kadota said sternly, not quite believing the raven's words.

"Don't lecture me Dota-chin"

"I don't think I have to. I think even you know"

Shinra sighed and slouched on the cushions. "What did you mean anyway? About Shizuo's parents?"

Izaya flinched. He really hadn't meant to blurt that out, that was what he felt most guilty over, he knew that Shizuo had a bad upbringing, and that the blond had trusted him with that secret. "Doesn't matter. I- I shouldn't have said anything"

Shinra looked over at him "Aw, come on Izaya!"

"Don't whine. I had no right saying anything in the first place"

Kadota folded his arms "Sounds to me like you feel guilty" Izaya clicked his tongue, but didn't reply, nor did he look up. "If that's the case. You should go and apologise"

"As if"

"How are we supposed to work together if you two are constantly at each other's throats?"

"There's no point in apologising anyway. Shizu-chan and I will never be friends, not how you want us to be. we just don't get along"

"I think you're wrong. I think you could be, if you both tried harder. He does seem protective when it comes to keeping you from trouble"

Izaya's cheeks tinted a little, thinking back to the study early in the morning. "He was just there. that's all"

Shinra looked over at him, an almost pout of jealously crossing his face, he then glanced away.

"Just try and apologise at least, if he doesn't accept it, then you-"

Izaya threw his hands up "Fine! I'll go!" he half slammed down the lid of his laptop and placed it on the floor. "Dota-chin is so cruel~" the raven sighed dramatically and stood up, making his way out of the living room. Kadota chuckled and then looked over at Shinra, he rolled his eyes and moved to sit on the couch beside him.

"Seriously? do you like him _that _much?" it was meant to tease, but the way Shinra looked back at him, Kadota knew. "Oh"

"I- I didn't mean to, but I can't help it"

"Man Shinra. I thought it was just some weird crush or, some kind of admiration. I didn't know you were- that you-"

Shinra sighed "I've never felt this way about a guy before. or even a girl for that matter. I don't know what to think. I mean, I wouldn't go as far as to say I'm gay or anything"

Kadota shrugged "Er. Don't know what to tell you there. it's not really my thing, maybe you're erm- bisexual?"

Shinra chuckled "I don't know. maybe, but how would I know if I've never felt this way before about either gender?"

Kadota scratched the back of his head "I have honestly no idea. Not the kind of thing you talk about with a guy I suppose, but….if you really want my advice?"

Shinra nodded "Anything"

"Don't tell him"

Shinra blinked in surprise "What do you mean?"

"Whatever you feel. Don't tell him anything. Because I don't think- and I hate to say it, I don't think he's going to return the feelings"

Shinra looked down at his hands that were clenched in his lap "You don't know that…"

"Izaya really treasures your friendship, that much is obvious. Do you really want to ruin that by confessing to feelings that he might not share?"

Shinra sighed "No. I don't"

"Sorry. But I think you know that you'd rather his friendship, then nothing at all"

Shinra nodded with a small smile "Yeah…"

…

Izaya searched the kitchen and dining room, he then took a walk around the outside of the house, mainly to clear his head. He stared over at the pool, slightly shuddering, he wondered what else was going to happen to him. First he nearly suffocated, then he nearly drowned. "Maybe _I'm_ cursed" he mumbled to himself, he then made his way back to the house. "Where the hell is that stupid protozoan anyway" Izaya took a step up onto the back of the house's porch and-

Izaya~

Izaya froze at the whispered name, he gripped the wooden structure of the fence. "Shit" he had to calm down, all he had to do was run into the house and make his way back into the living room.

Izaya~

The raven shook his head, unable to stop the tremors that wracked his body, unable to stop the thoughts that he half wanted Shizuo to appear. He'd pondered the thought a few times, ever since they'd gotten here. that the spirits, or rather spirit, stopped trying to attack him or near him whenever Shizuo was around. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt safer, and the only reason he was pushed off the balcony was that maybe the spirit didn't know Shizuo was there; at least that's what he figured. Back in the pool, whatever had grabbed his ankle, let go as soon as Shizuo took his hand. In the study, that thing was about to- and then Shizuo showed up and it disappeared. _Could it be that his strength is keeping them from harming me? Can they sense his abilities? _

Izaya made a dash for the door but was stopped when his body was thrown backwards. The back of his head hit the wooden column behind him, and it cracked. Izaya whimpered as he slid down to the floor and collapsed on the porch.

…

"They've both been gone a while, maybe we should look for them?" Kadota asked

"I was going to suggest the same thing. I mean, they could be fighting"

Kadota stood up "Maybe. Let's split up I guess, you look for Izaya and I'll look for Shizuo" Shinra wasn't going to argue about that as he stood up with a bounce. "If we can't find them in half hour, we'll meet back here"

"Ok"

Kadota left Shinra to search the rooms upstairs first, he was worried. All the accidents seem to have happened in the rooms upstairs, and if Shizuo had gone up here and got in trouble- he passed the small girl's room first. "This is where he said he saw something" Kadota entered the room, he couldn't see anything abnormal. He then made his way down to the study, he stilled as he entered the room, finally spotting him. Kadota sighed in relief. "At least you're all right" he said as he stepped out onto the balcony. Shizuo turned to the voice with a frown and soon relaxed when he realised it was Kadota.

"Hey" Shizuo said, then went back to staring over the balcony.

"Was getting worried"

Shizuo shrugged "Sorry. Just wanted to be alone for a bit"

Kadota stepped up beside him "Understandable"

"I suppose the flea told you"

Kadota looked at him for a moment and then shook his head. "Actually no, he didn't"

"Sure"

"Shinra tried to get it out of him. But Izaya refused. He feels pretty bad about what he said, I could tell"

Shizuo clenched his fists "He doesn't feel bad about anything. He doesn't have a single shred of decency in him"

"You know that's not entirely true"

"Maybe toward you, or Shinra. But when it comes to me, he'd quite happily cause me misery"

"Is that what this is about?"

"I've tried to get along with him. I've tried to take his teasing as nothing more then friendly banter, but- he went too far, he's lucky I didn't punch his lights out back there"

Kadota leant against part of the wall that wasn't broken, facing his friend. "Yeah. he did go overboard, but I honestly think he feels bad about that"

"Tch. Sorry, but I don't believe you"

Kadota glanced over the wall "He went looking for you. to apologise actually"

"I know, at least I had a feeling he was looking for me, probably not to apologise though. But I watched him walk around down there for several minutes before heading back to the house"

Kadota looked at him with a chuckle "That's mean"

Shizuo grinned "Yeah well. Wasn't going to let him know where I was if I didn't wanna be found, especially by him"

Kadota nodded and stepped away from the wall, he then spotted Shinra running from the house. "There's Shinra, he and I split up to search for you two"

"You mean Izaya didn't come back to you?"

Kadota shook his head "No" he leaned over the wall "Shinra!" the bespectacled boy startled and glanced up, squinting as he caught sight of both Kadota and Shizuo. "Did you find him!?"

Shizuo stepped forward to peer over as well

"Did you and Izaya have a fight!?" Shinra bellowed up at them, his question clearly directed at Shizuo.

Shizuo frowned "No! I've been up here the whole time. I saw Izaya a few minutes ago walking around and then he disappeared, I thought he went back into the house to you!"

Shinra seemed angry and his tone said that he was concerned. "He's not in the house! I just found him unconscious on the porch!"

Their eyes widen "What!?"

Kadota turned and ran back into the house and made his way out of the study. Shizuo didn't move, he'd just seen him, he was fine. He couldn't help but feel guilty now. _I should have called out to him _Shizuo growled and then made his way into the house. "Damn it!"

….

Izaya stared at the clock, everything was the same as before. he appeared in the study, watched the woman's lips move with no sound admitting from them. Now he was back here, with the clock, why was it so important to him? As he moved his hand toward the glass door, the broom was thrown at his feet again.

Soon enough, he was shifted forward, a wave of dizziness overcame him until he opened his eyes. Blinking at the woman in front of him. Wait…this didn't happen before, this was new. He cupped the back of her head with his hand, she leaned in and kissed him softly and passionately. He looked at her and she spoke to him, still, nothing but muteness. But his own lips moved to reply "I love you. why can't we be together? He's no good for you"

She said something to him and then kissed him again. Then, he was pulled away from her and thrown to the floor. He stared up into the angry eyes of the man that had caught them. The woman threw herself at the man crying to him. At first, Izaya thought that she was trying to stop the man and explain that she loved him. But when an accusing finger was pointed at him, followed by the angry glare of her, he didn't need to hear what she said to understand. He got the feeling, that this had happened prior to the events from before. a shift of time struck him again and he found himself with a hex in his hand, like before, it was more like a wooden cross, with something written on it that he couldn't quite make out. He placed it inside the clock toward the back, out of sight; as he closed the door he spun around to find them both there. "You'll regret rejecting me! For lying and deceiving me! I curse you! I curse this house! No one shall live among these grounds without suffering!"

Izaya found himself once again by the pool, raking….leaves. As soon as he bent down, he was forced under the water. He eventually stopped struggling and then….

Izaya~

Izaya~

"Izaya"

Izaya's fluttered open, he felt soft cushion underneath him, he glanced over to see Shinra's worried expression, trying to figure out where he was. "S-shinra?"

"Thank god you're awake" an unfamiliar voice caught his attention, he looked over to see someone smiling down at him, it was a woman, Kira's mother. "If you didn't wake up soon, we was going to call an ambulance" Izaya moved to sit up, his head hurt, she lay a hand on his shoulder. "Don't get up too fast. I had to give you some butterfly stitches, the back of your head was bleeding" she knelt beside him and moved her finger in front of his face. "Follow my finger?" his eyes tracked her finger's movements and she was happy with that. "Good. Are you feeling sick at all?"

Shinra helped him to sit up "No…not really"

"What happened?" Shinra finally asked

Shizuo, who was stood against the fireplace, observing the situation from afar, tensed then. _I should have called out to him; I should have told him where I was _

Izaya winced as he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the couch. "I was attacked. It was probably that same spirit. I was coming back to the house…it whispered my name again….but, I thought I could hear more then one voice this time. I tried to run, but I was shoved back, I guess I must have hit my head…."

Shizuo's hands were clenched in his pockets _this is all my fault, damn it! _

The woman sat down beside him "I don't think you have concussion, so that's good, are you sure we shouldn't take you home? I should call your parents…"

"No!" Izaya said sternly, before softening his tone "No, sorry. I'm fine" he turned to look at her. "Was that clock in the hallway here when you moved in?"

She tilted her head "The grandfather clock?" Izaya nodded "Yes. I thought it was a nice touch. I left it there, I guess whoever lived in the house before, didn't want to take it with them"

Izaya knew he was right. he didn't know why he'd even asked, that clock had really been in this house all this time. Izaya then gasped as he remembered his dream. He stood up, maybe a little too quickly as Shinra grabbed his arm to stop him from falling over. "What are you doing? You need to rest" he said

Izaya shook his head and then turned back to the woman. "I think it'll be safer for you if you returned to your daughters now. you're not safe as long as you're here"

"W-what do you mean?"

"Just trust me"

"After what happened? I shouldn't leave you boys alone"

"We'll be fine. We're not giving up just yet. I know what we've got to do now, but there's not a lot of time left, neither you nor your daughters should be without each other right now. the further away from the house you are, the better"

The woman looked at him intently, trying to figure out what he was telling her. Judging by his expression, she could tell he was serious. "All right. I believe you I suppose. Be careful"

Izaya nodded and they watched her leave without another word. Kadota and the others turn to him with questioning looks. "Do you really know how to stop all this?" Kadota asked.

"I think so. I had another dream. Shinra was right, all the bad situations that happened started after the servant died"

"How do you know that?"

"Because in my dream, the memories I experienced were the servants. He and Mrs Tanaka, they fell in love, I don't know how, but they did. He loved her and she reciprocated, Mr Tanaka caught them however, but instead of defending her lover, she betrayed him. She accused him of trying to force himself on her. From that day onward, he was treated worse than before" Izaya walked out into the living room and the others reluctantly followed, they watched the raven open the glass door to the clock, he reached inside and pulled out the wooden object that appeared in his dream.

Shinra gasped "Izaya, is that a-"

"Yes"

Kadota tilted his head "What is it?"

"It's a Hitogata" the three turn to Shizuo in surprise "It's usually in the form of a human, but given how unspecific the deaths were, it wasn't aimed at a specific person. The whole house, actually"

Izaya refused to look at him, but he nodded in response before replying. "He's right. A Hitogata is normally shaped in the form of a human with the person in which they want to curse. But the deaths are too random, you'd think that those who died would be only males"

"Wait a minute" Kadota said "Wouldn't it be women? She did betray him"

"No. because once he became a spirit, only Mr Tanaka was killed out of the two, I think he stilled loved and never wanted to hurt her. But, regardless, the other deaths were still random; men, women and children were effected"

Shinra took the Hitogata from Izaya to get a closer look before saying "You're probably right. but how do you know this was the only cause, there could be more of these things around"

"I'm sure that's the only one. As far as I know, a ghost or spirit can't make them. This was made by the servant, he put it in the clock so no one would notice it. after that, he screamed that this house was cursed and that whoever lived in it would suffer"

"And what makes you so sure he didn't make any more after this one?" Shizuo asked with irritation, annoyed by the fact that Izaya refused to even look at him.

"Because shortly after, he was drowned by Mr Tanaka. I guess he was angered by all the gibberish the servant was spouting"

Shinra nodded "But it wasn't gibberish. Because of this thing, his words came true" he said

"Just because only one died out of a family that lived here, it didn't mean no one else suffered. They were forced to witness the deaths and mourn their losses, either way, everyone suffered"

Kadota swiped a hand through his hair "And in just under two days, the same thing will happen to Kira's family"

"I didn't know that at the time, but I'm glad we told them to stay somewhere else. I have a feeling that I know who was going to be next"

"Who? And how can you tell?"

"When I first saw the spirit, it was talking to the little girl. She could see it, I'm sure of that. and I think it chose who was going to die next"

"The hell!? she's just a little kid!" Shizuo yelled

Shinra looked over at Shizuo, he felt the same sympathy "That didn't matter before, the boy was only 8 when he died…."

Kadota grabbed his hair in frustration and then calmed himself "Ok. so the guy was betrayed and cursed the house with this- Hito thingy, that caused all the deaths in the house to occur, how do we stop it? and if it is after Kira's sister, who's to say it won't leave here and follow them?"

Izaya bit his lip, glancing at the floor "I'm almost certain it's not after the girl anymore. She was picked because she could see him, who's to say any of the others that died didn't see him too? Maybe it made them see it, I don't know"

"But Izaya, we can't know for sure that they're safe. if they come back-"

"I know. if they come back, the curse will just carry on. But they're not here right now, and the spirit or spirits, have made no attempt to follow them. I think I know why"

Shinra gulped, he had a bad feeling, like he knew what Izaya was going to say. "Why?"

Izaya looked up at them "Since we've been here, it's attention has been directed elsewhere, because the only other one that could see it, was me"

Their eyes widen as they processed the information. Shinra became frantic "What do we do!? You should leave! You can't be here Izaya! That- that means on June 12th you-"

"I would probably die" Izaya said it so calmly, but on the inside, he was terrified.

"That's not going to happen!" Shizuo yelled, Izaya looked over at him, surprised by the determination and concern in the blond's voice all of a sudden.

"Why are you so worried? You hate me anyway, right?"

Shizuo gritted his teeth at him _I hate you all right, but that doesn't mean that I- that I'm just going to let that thing….damn it Izaya, you are not going to die here _"You know what? Fine. See if I care anyway"

Kadota sighed in annoyance before frowning at Izaya. "Stop annoying him. Look, how do we stop this thing? There's a way right?"

"Yes. we were lucky that- _I _was lucky that we found this in time. At first, in my dream, I thought it was just an obsession, that the servant was just obsessed with the clock, more so because that's where he hid the Hitogata. But now, I realise it might have been my own subconscious that was drawing me to it"

"Why?"

"Because the first time I had the dream, time kept shifting, as if something or someone, was keeping me away from it. to stop me from finding it"

"You think it was that servant?"

"Now that I know more about him, I'm positive. When he knew I could see him, he figured out quickly that I could stop his curse, and that he would disappear"

Shinra lay a hand on Izaya's shoulder "We found it in time. We've still got one full day, no one else is dying on that date, definitely not you"

Izaya nodded, giving his friend a small smile.

"How do we do that?" Kadota asked

Shinra turned to him "We burn it"

…..

The four stood outside, the darkness around them illuminated only by the fire that burned the wood of the Hitogata. They watched it crackle and simmer, the wood getting smaller until it was nothing but ash on the grass at their feet. "That should be it now. the curse should be removed" Izaya said after the fire died. "We should bury the ash, just encase"

Shinra nodded "Good idea"

"So, now that the curse has been removed, am I right in thinking that the servant and all the other spirits from the previous death's will disappear?" Kadota asked

Shinra smiled "Yep! Our work here is done!"

Shizuo couldn't help but sigh in relief, yet, he felt as though it were too easy. He wasn't complaining, it just seemed so- anticlimactic. _That spirit was after Izaya, something tells me that he was damn determined, like burning this thing wouldn't be enough…_

"We should remain here until we know for sure" Izaya said. They'd buried the remaining ashes and were now sat in the living room; Shinra was packing away his laptop when he heard Izaya speak.

"Really? But why? We stopped the curse, it's over…isn't it?"

"You're probably right. but I'd still like to stay for a little while longer, just encase"

Shinra slumped "If you think it's necessary I guess"

"I do. Because what happens if we decide to leave, and then Kira and her family come back, it comes to June 12th and then-"

"Ok! I get it! I was just….I'm just worried"

Izaya smiled "There's probably nothing to worry about. It's just a precaution"

Kadota stretched. "If we're going to stay longer. Then we should at least all get some sleep. It's almost three"

They all agreed without argument.

….

**June 11****th**

Shinra stretched and yawned as he sat up in his sleeping bag. The sunlight beaming in through the gap in the curtains. He smiled, happy that nothing else had happened during the night. He glanced over at his friends, still sound asleep, he shrugged. _I should let them sleep some more _With that thought in mind, he stood up and made his way quietly out of the living room. Now that it was daylight, and the constant fear of being attacked by spirits had gone, he decided to check around one last time. "There was one place we didn't bother checking before. I wonder if it's still intact" he muttered to himself as he made his way to the back of the house. There was a door off to the side, situated where the kitchen led off toward the dining room. As he was about to open it, he heard a voice.

Help me

Shinra blinked. _Was that a little kid's voice?_ "H-Hello?"

Help me….I'm stuck in here

Shinra lay a palm on the door _it's coming from inside _"Hold on…I'll get you out" Shinra opened the door and was met with an extremely cold smoke of air. "Wait…this isn't the boiler room, it's just a walk-in freezer" he stepped into the cold room. "Hey…kid? Are you in here? its ok, you're safe" Suddenly, the door behind him slammed shut. Shinra jumped and span around, he pushed against the door, but it didn't budge. He felt around with his hands. "There's no safety latch!" Shinra began to panic and pounded his fists against the door. "Help! I'm-" Shinra's eyes widen when he realised he'd been tricked. "I'm….stuck" he knocked on the door loudly. "Izaya! Kadota! Shizuo! Help me!" Shinra wrapped his arms around himself, it was so cold in here, actually, it was colder than it should be for a walk-in freezer. Shinra looked up at the dial on the top left hand side and he noticed that the temperature was dropping, at least two degrees at a time. "Oh god….I'm gonna die" he shook his head, pounding his fists against the door once more before stopping all together. "Don't panic. I should stop moving around….oxygen is precious" Shinra tucked his hands under his arms and curled up into a ball, trying to keep himself warm. "They'll find me….they will"

Izaya sat up on the floor, his cover sliding off as he stretched. He scoffed at the blond who was still snoring away on the couch, he then glanced over at Kadota who was also still asleep. He noticed then, that Shinra wasn't in his sleeping bag, Izaya knew the boy was an early riser most mornings, so he shouldn't have any need to worry. The raven couldn't help it, something was wrong, he knew it. he crawled over to Kadota and shook him. The brunet shifted in his sleeping bag, peering over the top.

"Izaya?"

"Dota-chin, Shinra isn't here"

"Huh? Maybe he went to the bathroom…"

"No, something is wrong…Shinra is an early riser, and it's already eleven, he would have been back by now, he would have been here"

"Are you sure?" Kadota sat up, slightly more awake now

"Yes, we should go and look for him"

Kadota nodded "All right. I'll go with you" Izaya wouldn't admit it, but after the previous events on the porch, he didn't want to go alone, daylight or not. "We should wake Shizuo"

"No. we might not have time for that"

Kadota sighed "Ok" the two make their way through the house, starting from the top. They made their way back down the stairs after seeing no sign of their friend. "Damn, where could he have gone?"

Izaya frowned as they made their way through the dining room "Shinra!" he called "Shinra! Are you ok!? where are you!?"

Kadota turned around to see a chair come flying toward them, he grabbed Izaya and pulled him to the floor. "Lookout!" they ducked as it cracked apart against the wall. "Dammit"

Izaya gritted his teeth "It's not over"

"But you said-"

"It didn't work!" Izaya stood up, he was angry now, why didn't it work? "We've got to find Shinra, now!"

Kadota nodded and they made their way through the corridor, leading into the kitchen. "Wait!" Izaya halted when Kadota called out to him. He pointed at the door. "I think I hear something" Izaya stepped beside him "It's coming from inside"

"That's the walk-in freezer" Kadota raised an eyebrow at him "Don't ask"

"You- you don't think…"

Izaya's eyes widen and he pushed Kadota aside and threw open the door. "Shinra!" the boy looked up through half lidded eyes, cold puffs of air emitting from his mouth as he spoke.

"I-Izay-a….t-thank g-god….s-so cold…."

Izaya knelt down and wrapped his arms around his friend. "Help me get him to the living room!" he shouted at Kadota. The two carried a shivering Shinra back into the living room. "Get the fire going and get me a blanket" Izaya knelt down with Shinra in front of the fireplace.

"S-so….c-cold.."

Izaya rubbed his arm, trying to warm him. "Its ok. you're ok"

Kadota got the fire going and swiped a blanket from the floor. Shizuo stirred on the couch and turned to see his friends, he blinked and sat up in confusion. "What's going on?"

Izaya frowned over at him and then wrapped the blanket that Kadota had given him around Shinra. "We failed" the raven clenched the hand that wasn't holding his friend. "_I _failed"

Shizuo narrowed his eyes and stood up "What do you mean?"

Kadota stopped Shizuo from stepping any closer, a hand on his arm. "We don't think the burning of the Hitogata worked. Shinra was locked in a freezer"

Shizuo turned to the bundle on the floor "But- that can happen, right?"

Izaya stood up and turned to face Shizuo "We failed! Don't you understand that!? something trapped him in there!"

"How do you know that!?"

Kadota tightened his hold "He's telling the truth. When we were in the dining room, a chair came at us"

Shizuo relented, he didn't know why he was so angry. "I'm sorry. I guess I just thought, that I was hoping it was over"

Izaya glanced away "It's- it's not your fault…I thought I had it figured out, if anyone is to blame…it's me"

Kadota frowned "Izaya-"

Izaya bent down to Shinra "Did you see anything?"

Shinra looked at him, and Izaya was relieved to see at least a little colour back in his cheeks. If they were any longer in finding him…. "I-I heard something….it was a kid"

"A kid?"

Shinra nodded "S-sounded like a little…girl. I thought she was trapped….I thought the door led to the….boiler room or something"

"Shinra, did you see the girl?"

"No….I opened the freezer…and then the door shut…, there was no latch, I couldn't get out. Izaya, I thought- I thought I was going to freeze" Izaya pulled him into a hug.

"You're ok. I'm sorry, it's all my fault"

Shinra shook his head "No! it's not. I thought the burning would work too…."

"Hang on" Shizuo said as he stepped forward "Whatever deaths you found in those articles, there was no mention of a little girl, right?"

Izaya looked up at him "No"

"Then where did she come from?"

Izaya seemed to frown in thought "I don't know"

Shinra tensed as he wrapped himself in the blanket more. "I- I didn't mention this before….because I thought I was wrong. But…"

Izaya looked at his friend "What is it?"

"Izaya. I think we did cleanse the house of those that died here, their spirits I mean. but….what if, what if that other spirit, the one that's the servant….he's attracting more spirits here? and they weren't cleansed because they never belonged here in the first place"

Kadota gasped "Seriously? that can happen?"

Izaya nodded "I didn't think about it at the time. But Shinra could be right. though normally, it's the lower spirits that attract stronger ones"

"Well, he probably was a lower spirit himself. He attracted the rest of them here" Shizuo said, surprising himself that he was able to keep up with Izaya's line of thinking. _Maybe I do know more then I think I do _

Izaya stood up "If that's the case, then it might still be around"

"Have you seen it since?" Kadota asked

"No. but I have a bad feeling. I was always wondering why the spirit of the servant looked different to those I've seen before"

Shizuo nodded "Yeah. you said it didn't look like a normal spirit, more like it evolved"

Izaya clenched his fists "I think it's devouring the other spirits"

Shinra and Kadota gasp "That's crazy!" Shinra cried

"I think that spirit that called out to you, really was asking for help"

"It, it said it was stuck…"

"I think the servant might have consumed it and then trapped you"

"So it's after Shinra now?" Kadota asked

Izaya shook his head "Not necessarily. We might have scared it off, or maybe even weakened it somehow. It won't come after me again just yet, especially not in the day" Izaya then grinned. "I've got an idea"

…

**00:30, June 12****th**

"I need you all to wait here" Izaya told his friends. They were stood by the clock in the hallway.

"This is not a good idea Izaya!" Shizuo yelled "I've never done anything like this before! what if it doesn't work!?"

"It will"

"Izaya! I could seriously mess up; I could end up really hurting you!"

Izaya chuckled, hands in his pockets "Now don't go caring about me now. I chose you for that specific reason, and of course you are the only one out of us that knows such an incantation"

"Stop putting words in my mouth! I hate you, but I don't want to cause you unnecessary harm dammit!"

"Relax Shizu-chan. I have confidence in your ability, so I would feel even more so if you shared that confidence"

Shinra and Kadota stood almost between them, they didn't like this idea anymore then Shizuo did. But they were really running out of time, today was June 12th, it was now or never. "Izaya, please be careful" Shinra told him

Izaya nodded with a smirk "I'll lure the spirit here, allow it to enter my body and Shizu-chan will drive it out, hopefully it'll weaken enough to finish it off after"

…..

Izaya searched around the house, it was strange, he spent all this time avoiding the spirit. Now he was intentionally seeking it out. "I must be insane" he muttered to himself as he entered the kitchen, they'd kept the house as dimly lit as possible. "This will work" he reassured himself when doubt began to creep in. "Come on! I'm right here. I'm ready for you this time, you spirit sucking freak!" a loud crash off to the side startled him, he walked toward the countertop, pots and pans were strewn about the floor.

Izaya~

Izaya flinched when he heard his name, his hands shook, and his heart hammered in his chest.

Izaya~ you die today~

It whispered right up against his ear. Izaya swallowed the lump in his throat, biting his lower lip to stop himself from choking out a sob. He clenched his fists and span around to face it, his face drained of colour, all determination and faith left his body. He simply froze. It had changed again, the spirit…. Was a demon, at least, it looked like one. "I- I know why you're angry….you loved her….didn't you?" it's eyes glowed a solid yellow before striking at him.

The raven yelled out and then crashed against the small table that was in the middle of the floor. He skidded off the top and broke a chair as he landed. Izaya groaned as he struggled to get back up. "Shit…." He shifted onto his side and watched it hover above him. "Too strong…."

"That doesn't sound good!" Shinra cried "He's in trouble!"

Shizuo growled and ran in the direction they'd heard the commotion, his friends following him hurriedly. _God dammit Izaya!_

Izaya's eyes widen as he stood up, backing himself against the wall. _Even if that thing could still try and take over my body, there's no way I'd survive… _the spirit lunged forward _shit _ "Shizu-chan!"

"Nau-Maku-San-Manda-Bazara-Dankan!" both Izaya and the spirit were thrown backwards due to it being so close to the raven. The spirit seemed to let out a shriek before fading back to its original spirit form, the form of the servant. Shizuo got between them, gritting his teeth and purposely blocking the spirit from attacking Izaya again. "Rin-pyou-Tou-Sha-Kai-Jin-Retsu-Zai-Zen!" Shizuo watched the spirit fade into nothing, he fell to one knee, breathing heavily. "Damn…"

"S-Shizu-chan…?" Shizuo looked round at Izaya, he was holding his shoulder, staring at him in shock.

"Izaya" Shizuo shifted over to him "Are you all right? did I hurt you? that thing was too damn close to you, but I didn't know what else to do"

Izaya winced but smiled "I'm all right…you just caught my shoulder, that's all" he pulled his shirt down to reveal two nasty looking cuts, he then chuckled "If I knew…you were that powerful, I wouldn't have suggested to lure the spirit into my body….you really might have killed me"

Shizuo clicked his tongue "Izaya, you idiot. I told you"

Izaya grinned "Good thing it didn't happen then, right?"

Shizuo sighed and stood up, he held his hand out and Izaya took it, Shizuo pulled him to his feet. Izaya stumbled against him, bracing himself against his chest. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah….just a little unsteady on my feet, I'm fine…"

Shizuo huffed a small laugh "Yeah. that took it out of me too. I didn't know I could do something like that"

"Told you"

"Shut up flea"

Shinra and Kadota were simply stood in shock the whole time. "I can't- I can't even…what- what the hell was that?" Kadota managed to stutter out. "And why all of a sudden could we see it?"

Izaya walked forward, Shizuo right behind him encase he collapsed. "Because it got stronger. That's why it looked more violent, like a demon"

"Then, it really did devour other spirits?"

Izaya nodded, he then flicked Shinra on the forehead. "Next time, tell me what's on your mind, even if you think you're wrong"

Shinra pouted with a scratch to his temple "Heh. I guess I should have"

"So is it really over now? that thing isn't coming back? And the other spirits are gone too?" Kadota asked

"I'm a hundred percent sure this time" Izaya then turned to Shizuo with a grin. "Besides. He was probably more scared of Shizu-chan, what with him being a bigger monster and all"

Shizuo glared at him, clenching a fist "Oi flea! You want me to punch that grin off your face!?" Izaya chuckled and ran out of the kitchen, Shizuo following close behind. "Get back here!"

Shinra and Kadota sigh in unison.

Kadota stared around the kitchen "Man what a mess. But at least it's over now. that was- damn, that was too close"

Shinra nodded "You know, I think Izaya was right. about the risking our lives part? Maybe the fee isn't that much after all"

Kadota clapped a hand on Shinra's shoulder "I agree"

…

**13:45, June 12****th**

Miasaki bowed politely as she handed Izaya over the check of 24,000 Yen, after they assured her that the house was cleansed of any spirits and curses. "Thank you so much. You really did come through"

Izaya nodded and took the check, placing it in his wallet for now. "We're sorry about the kitchen, it got a little- out of hand"

She shook her head "The important thing, is that you're all ok. I can't thank you enough, my daughter was right to trust you"

The others smile, Shizuo felt warmth spread through him, he actually done something good with his strength, and it felt amazing. He glanced down when he felt a tug on his leg. The little sister of Kira smiled at him. "Thank you Mr…"

Everyone gasped in surprise, Miasaki couldn't contain her tears of happiness, much like her oldest daughter. Shizuo knelt down and lay his hand on her head. "You're welcome"

Kira waved at them as they left the house "I'll see you around school sometime!"

"I'm exhausted" Izaya whined as they walked down the street that lead away from the house. He grinned and was about to jump onto Kadota's back.

"Don't even think about it"

"But- Dota-chin! I'm tired!"

"No!"

Izaya pouted, he then looked over at Shizuo, his grin returning "Not a fucking chance flea!"

"Please~"

"I am not a mode of transportation!"

"Shizu-chan~ isn't it kind of your fault that I'm tired? You did almost knock me out with your mantra early this morning"

"I- you-" Shizuo gritted out, Izaya clapped as though he had won and jumped on Shizuo's back, the blond had no choice but to hold onto the back of Izaya's legs. "Flea! I didn't say yes! get off!" Izaya just laughed hysterically, as Shizuo made lame attempts to shove him off.

Shinra and Kadota watched them stumble down the street in front of them. Kadota had to chuckle at Shinra's pouting face. "Come on. You wouldn't have been able to carry him anyway"

Shinra whined "I might have!" he then stomped after them "No fair!"


	11. Demonic pet part 1

**AN: Hello!**

**So I know it's only been six days since my last arc ended. But, for the spirit of Halloween, I worked hard to bring you the beginning of the third arc.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

Shinra stretched his arms up over his head, yawning as he stood up from his chair, the minute the bell had rung to signal the end of class. More importantly, the end of the day, and even more importantly- half term break. Shinra smiled widely, he was rather excited about this, breaks never used to be like this, since he had no friends to share it with. Now, he looked forward to all of them. Like summer for example, that whole break consisted of dramatic water fights-almost always started by Izaya and Shizuo- festivals, camp outs in Izaya's garden-which usually involved his little sisters joining in. Shinra almost blushed as other memories entered into his head, because let's not forget the lack of clothing due to the intense heat. Izaya in nothing but shorts, and sometimes a light thin jumper in the cooler evenings, it was a memory Shinra would not be forgetting anytime soon.

He'd known Izaya for seven months now, five and a half of those he'd been crushing on him, or to be more accurate, had been in love with him, since June. He'd come to terms with his feelings, and though it killed him not to act on them, he would rather carry on this way then ever lose his friendship with the boy. He also figured, that it would affect his other two friends, because Kadota and Shizuo had known almost from the start, he didn't want to make things awkward for them.

Surprisingly, they hadn't had any requests to help with any kind of ghost activities over the summer. The four friends were actually grateful, it had been way too hot, and much to Shinra's shameful delight, Izaya and Shizuo fought more throughout that long break than usual. They put it down to heat, it made everyone more akin to get annoyed easily. They had a lot of fun times too; it wasn't all bad at least. They were merely agitated with uncomfortable sweat and exhaustion, Shinra especially.

He knew his feelings towards Izaya were getting worse, the day he witnessed the raven devouring his ice lolly. His lips swollen from the cold treat; it physically and quite mentally destroyed his pure mind. He refused to think about it, ever! Because he couldn't handle where those thoughts were leading him to. The days when some nights were hotter than others were a bitch, not only was he frustrated because of the weather, his dreams kept him awake too. He could not control his thoughts while he slept, Shinra didn't like himself for it, it seemed very perverted to be thinking of his best friend in _that _way, even though he was in love with him. Again, he blamed the summer heat, it made him crazy. He also blamed all frozen treats, especially ice lollies. His vulgar thoughts had died down considerably now that it was winter, and almost freezing. He felt he could think straight again- in the literal sense at least- and briefly wondered if he really was in some kind of heat, but hey, he was a teenage boy, his hormones were all over the place, probably.

Izaya and Shizuo had stopped fighting as much too, in a way Shinra was relieved, he really did want them to get along most of the time, only his stupid jealously caused such other thoughts.

Shinra didn't understand why he was jealous anyway. Izaya wasn't his in anyway involving romantic entanglements, nor did he have a say in his friend's love interests. There was also the fact that Izaya and Shizuo had no such feelings toward one another, they could barely get along as friends, let alone as a couple. Even if feelings developed between them, Shizuo was the kind of friend who would never do anything about it, simply because he knew how Shinra felt about the raven. Izaya, well, he was just way too stubborn, wasn't he? Let's face it, it took Shinra long enough to form a friendship of this kind with the boy.

Shinra laughed to himself, he was overthinking on this way too much. "What's funny?" He heard Kadota ask from beside him, he was packing away his things, the two were the last to remain in their class, they were clearly in no hurry to leave school grounds. The two were to meet their other friends in their club room anyway. Kadota knew Shinra and Izaya were rather excited about setting up their new equipment today. Though Izaya hid it a lot better than Shinra did.

Since they had no more requests except for Kira's, each took on the responsibility to get summer jobs. They kept some money for themselves, and the rest went into their fundings. They were serious about starting up their own business someday, and because they only wanted to accept request from other students and maybe even teachers for now, they needed to put extra effort into buying necessary equipment in order to process. Not to mention, they couldn't remain in that classroom forever, could they? Eventually, they would need a place to sublet as their official office.

They had a long way to go, but it was all exciting just the same. Their summer jobs weren't half bad either, Izaya and Shinra took part time work from their dad's, much to their parent's surprise. Naturally they earned the most, and though they were smart enough to do the job well, the two made it clear they weren't looking to make a career out of it.

Kadota and Shizuo both got jobs as lifeguards by the local outside pool that was open during summer season. It was simple work, they were both good swimmers, and no one ignored the basic pool rules too much- so Shizuo's temper was kept to a minimum. They also had two free hours on Sunday between 4-6, to enjoy the pool without any other people to disturb them and were allowed to bring some friends.

With the money earned by each of them, they were able to afford one infrared camera and one high tech computer system, along with a set of microphones

It took a while to get them ordered, since they had waited until the very last paycheck of each to be able to spend that kind of money. So today was the first time they would get the chance to test their equipments capabilities, hopefully it was money well spent.

"Nothing" Shinra finally replied with a smile, how long had he spaced out just now? Probably not long, since Kadota had only finished tidying away his things. "Thank god, half term week" he then said as they made their exit from the classroom.

"Halloween next Saturday, think we should do anything special?" Kadota had pondered the thought all day, they were obviously too old for customs and trick or treating...but still, doing _something _ might be fun. "Was thinking, maybe a horror movie night? Ya know, snacks, pizza and just your average selection of horror classics"

Shinra nodded in agreement with a wide smile. "Wow! I was thinking the same thing too! I had those plans already"

"Really?" The two made their way through the corridor, making a right turn as they then headed up the stairs toward their club room. "Good, I'm glad I wasn't the only one, sounds like it could be fun I guess"

"Agreed! I'm sure Izaya and Shizuo will be up for it too, we can each pick out a film and we'll all chip in for the snacks and dinner"

"Good idea" the two teach the corridor their room was on. "They text you at all?" As if on cue, Shinra's phone bleeped, the bespectacled boy took it out from his back pocket and sighed once he'd read the received message. "Something wrong?"

Shinra merely chuckled then "They're going to be late" he said and then showed Kadota the message. The brunet leaned forward to read it.

:Get started without us. I may or may not have got Shizu-Chan angry, he threw a sculpture at me and we're basically both in detention, and in our case "Time-out" according to the teacher:

Kadota rolled his eyes "I knew they were bound to argue at some point. I wonder what Izaya said or did to piss him off this time"

Shinra laughed as they reached their room and pulled out the key. "I have no idea. But if a sculpture was thrown, we probably don't wanna know"

"Probably right about that" they enter the room and Shinra grinned at the unopened boxes in the back corner of the room, wasting no time in rushing over to them. "Can you handle all this by yourself? I'm not overly big on tech, but just tell me what to do and I'll help as much as I can"

"I'll leave the computer system up to Izaya, he's better at that, we'll work on setting up the camera, make sure it works properly"

...

Izaya and Shizuo were seated with two desks between them, each staring at the clock on the wall every now and then. Izaya jotted something down on a sheet of paper, screwed it up into a ball and threw it over at Shizuo when the teacher's back was turned, as she scribbled across the green chalk board.

Shizuo blinked at the paper and then unscrewed it to reveal its contents. 'This is your fault' that was it, simply put and no trace of sharing the blame. Not that the blond expected such a thing anyway.

Growling to himself, he wrote an angry reply and chucked it back over, making sure to hit Izaya in the head with it. He smirked when an annoyed glare was directed at him. Izaya opened it and rolled his eyes. 'You pissed me off!'

Honestly, such a simple brute he wrote something back 'You weren't paying attention, you were doing it all wrong'

And this went back and forth for some time, until the teacher told them they could go.

'You didn't have to criticize my drawing'

'Your "drawing" wasn't anything! Nothing to do with the arts of poetry!'

'Who the fuck knows how to "draw" poetry!'

'I did! If you had listened in the first place!'

'You were being an ass!'

'You weren't paying attention! Your drawing looked like something a five year old would draw!'

'Fuck you!'

'Food is not poetry! You stupid protozoan!'

'Shut up! It could be!'

The two gathered their books in a pile and placed them in their teachers desk as they made their way out of the class.

Once they were at enough distance from the room, Shizuo stopped and grabbed a fistful of Izaya's red shirt, slamming him against the wall. The raven grinned at him, Shizuo gritted his teeth. "You're lucky that sculpture didn't actually hit you" Izaya chuckled, like Shizuo would have really been happy if it had.

"Whatever Shizu-Chan, next time, try to at least listen to me, you might actually learn something for once"

Shizuo slammed him against the wall again "You're pushing your luck with me fleabag"

Izaya clicked his tongue, he brought his hand down at his waist and withdrew his knife, holding it to the blond's throat. "You are the reason we got permanently paired together in the first place. If you weren't so idiotic, I wouldn't have had to cover for you on that test, and lie about my own"

Shizuo brought him forward, almost head-butting him in the face as their foreheads touched. "I didn't ask you to!"

"But I could tell you were grateful. Because at least then the teacher wouldn't know how unfocused and simple you really are" Izaya smirked "And I know that it kills you, that because of it, you have to rely on me during the whole lesson. I hate to think what you're going to do during a-" Shizuo slammed his fist against the wall beside Izaya's head, the raven actually jumped a little, eyes widening.

Shizuo shoved him away and stalked off down the corridor. "Explain to Shinra and Kadota that I'm going home. I don't trust myself around you right now"

Izaya sighed in frustration as he meant against the wall. "Why don't I just shut up for once?" He then shrugs and makes his way to meet the others "He shouldn't be so fun to annoy" he chuckles.

…...

Izaya makes his way into the classroom and instantly noticed the annoyed glare from Kadota. He rolls his eyes and takes a seat on the floor next to the computer boxes. "What did you do this time?" Kadota asked, his tone stern.

Izaya used his knife to cut across the top of the first box. He opened up the flaps and started taking out the loose cables. "Not sure what you're referring to Dota-chin"

Kadota snorted "Cut the crap Izaya. You know what I'm talking about, Shizuo sent me a text telling me that he went home already, and that he'll see us whenever"

Izaya sat back, unravelling the cables and placing them side by side out of the way. "If Shizu-chan wants to sulk about it then let him. His weapon of choice is violence, if he wants to hit me with objects or fists, I'll hit him back with words"

Kadota frowned "Did he hit you?" He already knew his answer, because Izaya sported no obvious injuries, and where Shizuo was concerned, that was inevitable.

Izaya avoided his gaze, he knew Kadota was mad at him, and he always did feel a little guilty whenever he said something to Shizuo that cause the angry teen to retreat like he had done. Izaya had come to realise now, that whenever his words hurt Shizuo too much, he would just leave. Ever since he went berserk on Izaya that day in the classroom, so instead of that happening again, it was better to just walk away, and Izaya wasn't that stupid to go after him, at least, not all the time. "No" he replied, the slightest hint of remorse in his voice.

"Words can hurt more then physical attacks sometimes Izaya"

Izaya sneered at the remark, yes he felt bad now, but he was not going to sit here and be scolding like a damn child. He frowned up at his friend. "That's the point, isn't it?"

Shrubs bit his lip as he looked between his two friends. This was getting out of hand; they didn't need them all arguing.

Kadota stood up from his spot on the floor, walked over to Izaya, and without warning, lifted the raven up off the ground at eye level. "Don't you think he's been through enough? That he's had enough bullshit thrown at him in his life? We're all he has Izaya, you included. I know neither of you get along that well, but you can, because I've seen it. He knows when to back off when his temper gets too much, maybe you should too"

Izaya glared at him but didn't reply, because he knew that Kadota was right. But he wasn't going to take all the blame, he wasn't going to let Shizuo get away with thinking he could attack him at any given time. He enjoyed the chases, that part was fun, but if Izaya had to use his sharp tongue to fight back when Shizuo physically attacked him, he would.

"Put him down Kadota" a deep voice sounded from the doorway. They all turn their heads in that direction.

"Shizuo!" Shinra was the first to acknowledge him. "You came back after all!"

Kadota smiled and released Izaya from his hold. "Hey"

Shizuo glanced over at Izaya, Kadota stepped to the side as he made his way over. Izaya narrowed his eyes as Shizuo stopped in front of him. The blond shoved his hands in his pockets. "Look. I heard what Kadota said, and while it is true that I've had nothing but hassle in my life, it's not an excuse to always act out with violence. Most of the time I can't help it, but, I shouldn't think it's ok to attack you just because you piss me off. I don't have a right to hurt you just because I can. Not gonna lie, you're mouth hurts when you say shit, but I know you're just retaliating back, it's your way I guess"

Izaya half wanted to reply with something that would send Shizuo flying off the handle again. The other half couldn't think of enough reason as to why Shizuo deserved it. The latter won out. "What is it you want, Shizu-chan?"

"If I agree to try not to hit you all time, you gotta meet me halfway. Stop running your mouth off at me, because we really can be civil, we know how to be friends Izaya, we just choose not to" Izaya opened his mouth to say something, and given his expression, Shizuo knew what he was thinking. The blond grinned. "Not saying we should be the best of friends and just never be as before. Because, we'll, that would be weird, right?"

Izaya smirked back, getting the hint "Right" he then huffed "I know I annoy you; I'm not going to stop doing that by the way. But, I'll try to keep it somewhat light. Just do what Dota-chin does most of the time" Izaya pouts "Outright ignores me" Kadota rolls his eyes.

Shizuo laughs "I'll try," Izaya shrugs and Shizuo blinks in surprise when the raven holds out his hand. He takes it with a grin. "flea"

"Protozoan" they both laugh quietly for a moment and release their hands. Izaya grinned down at the box beside his feet. "So. Can Shizu-chan use his monster strength to lift the heavy computer up to the desk without breaking it?"

Shizuo frowns and huffs in defeat "You're a lazy ass sometimes, you know that?"

Izaya pouts before his grin returns "But Shizu-chan is stronger, no?"

"Don't act so feeble. We both know you're not that weak"

Izaya gasped and held his chest, feigning shock "Was that a compliment just now? I'm so touched"

Shizuo rolled his eyes "Shut up"

Kadota and Shinra share a confused look, they shrug and decided it was best not to say anything. The two were getting along for now, that's all that mattered.

They started to attach the equipment together, they worked in comfortable silence, rather well actually. Kadota helped Shinra set up the camera's tripods and check each microphone, they tested out the filming quality by switching off the lights for a few minutes.

Shizuo helped Izaya lift certain parts of the computer so that he could connect them together. Once it was operational, Izaya got to work and installed the microphones and other components. They did a few test calls to make sure the speakers were working as they should be. He also installed the camera's to the system to record live feedbacks and playback footage. Shizuo watched him work, not really sure what else to do. Izaya felt his gaze on him and turned to grin. "Impressed?"

Like I'd admit that to you "Shut up" he replied with light humour, Izaya laughed.

A knock on the door brought their attention away from the technology. Shinra smiled at their familiar visitor, walking forward to greet her. "Hey Kira. Thought you would have long since gone home already. What brings you here?"

Kira smiled and waved "Hi guys. Is this a good time?"

Shinra looked at his friends and they gave him a gestured wave, telling him they didn't mind. Shinra turned back to her. "What's up? Don't tell me your house is haunted again?" Shinra knew it was a bad joke, he laughed nervously. Thankfully, she shared the humorous side of it.

Kira shook her head with a small laugh. "No. Everything has been great since you left. We're doing really well; you guys are the best"

Shinra shrugged with a smile "It was nothing really. So, what's wrong?"

She turned her attention back outside, motioning for someone to come in. "It's ok. They will help you"

The four listened intently to the girl's story, who they now knew as Freya. She was in Kira's home economics class and they seem to be good friends. She lived a normal family life, her mum, dad and her little brother, aged 8. Let's not forget their family dog of course. Kira had suggested to come to them today after hearing the many times Freya had freaked out over the phone to her. "Tell us more about the dog, why do you think it's possessed?" Izaya asked once he'd heard the shirt basic version.

Freya nodded. "It attacks without warning sometimes; me, my mum and even my little brother. It foams at the mouth too, it's so violent and no amount of talking calmly or walking slowly near him is enough"

"What do you mean by that?" Shizuo asked

"We've called several veterinarians over to us by now. They can't figure out what's wrong with him, he bit the last one we had over and now on one will see him at all. One suggested calming sprays, or to try and pinpoint what might spook him the most, whether we do something unknowingly to freak him out"

"I see, I take it none of those worked?"

Freya shook her head "I remember waking up one morning, the dog was just staring at me from the doorway. I tried to see if it would let me near him, since he looked calm and-" she pulled up her sleeve to reveal a white bandage wrapped over her forearm. "It scratched me"

"Ouch" Shinra said with a wince "Is there anything you can think of that might be causing it to act like this? Like what your vet said to lookout for?"

"I don't understand. Nothing happened when we first got it, it's only been in the last week or so, we haven't even had him long, maybe two weeks"

"How old is the dog?"

"Two years I think. Our neighbour across the street from us was moving away. She gave us the dog for free, because she knew we were looking to buy one"

"And the dog never acted like this before you said?"

"No. He was really a lovely dog"

"You don't have any reason to believe that the owner mistreated it in anyway?"

Freya shook her head frantically "Absolutely not!"

"Maybe it misses his original owner" Kadota began "New family and all, it might feel abandoned"

Shizuo snorted "I know how it feels"

Izaya glanced at him, a small amount of sympathy etched across his features before turning back to the girl. "Let's back up. You said it attacks you without warning, including your mother and your little brother"

"Yes. Luckily it hasn't gotten them yet. We keep it locked in pen at nights"

"What about your dad then? It's never tried to attack him?"

"No. I don't know why that is. Maybe he likes him better"

Shizuo frowned in thought, the girl in front of them was acting too nervous, like she wasn't giving them all the information they might need to know, and so far, she'd only told them a couple of things that would suggest the dog was possessed. "What about the house? Anything weird happen before that dog started living with you?" He asked.

"Huh? No, nothing like that" she then narrowed her eyes "I see, you don't believe me, do you?"

Izaya drummed his fingers against the arm rest of the couch. "Your story isn't entirely clear, but what Shizuo is asking is a valid question. If there was something in the house that might be the reason your dog seems possessed, like random knocking, or things moving around on their own, anything like that?"

"Oh, no. We've never had any experiences like that before. Please, you have to help us, I don't know how much more we can take, I'm worried it might really hurt us, my little brother is terrified"

"Perhaps it would be best if you had it put down, if you think it's that dangerous?" They all gasp at the raven's suggestion.

"No! We could never do that again!" Izaya raised an eyebrow, he then sighed.

Shinra smiled and clicked his fingers. "Don't worry. We'll come by tomorrow to check things out, is that ok with you?"

Freya smiled in relief. "Yes, thank you. Kira told me you guys have fees"

"We'll discuss that once we know what we're really dealing with"

Freya stood up with a bow and smiled brightly at them. "Thank you so much. Kira told me how much you helped her, I really hope you can do the same for me and my family"

Shinra nodded and said "We'll try our best. We'll come by around eleven in the morning, is that ok?"

She nodded "I'll let my folks know, see you tomorrow" she handed Shinra a slip of paper "Here's the address" and with that, her and Kira said goodbye.

"Somethings up" Shizuo said once the girls had left.

"She did sound pretty freaked out about it all" Kadota replied

"S'not that, not the parts she told us, it's what she didn't tell us"

Izaya smirked, he knew Shizuo's strong instincts would come in handy one day. Though he was still rather surprised that the blond was this perceptive. He was actually impressed, but he would keep that part to himself. "For once Shizu-chan, you and I are on the same wavelength"

Shizuo looked at him "We are?"

Izaya had to chuckle at the disbelief in Shizuo's tone, as if the blond didn't believe it anymore then he himself did. "Don't sound so surprised. My intelligence was bound to rub off on you eventually"

Shizuo narrowed his eyes for a moment before scoffing.

Shirts and Kadota share a glance and then the other raven spoke. "Care to share your mutual insight?"

Izaya looked at Shizuo and gestured with his hand, though he grinned at him knowingly. "Go ahead Shizu-chan"

Shizuo growled "You know damn well I can't explain things as well as you. Just get on with it"

Izaya shrugged "I was only giving you the opportunity, that's all"

Shizuo huffed and then his shoulders slumped in guilt "Sorry"

Izaya laughed inwardly, like he was really affected by Shizuo's outburst. He's so gullible, it's almost cute. Izaya shook that thought from his head as he leaned forward, resting his arms over his knees. "She's not telling us everything, I think there's something she's hiding. For example, she didn't say anything about the dog not attacking her father until I myself acknowledged it. She said that it was staring at her when she woke up one morning, despite the fact that afterwards she told us that it gets locked up at night. She also reacted very strongly to what I said, about putting the dog down. She used the words again, which indicate that they've had to do that before, to another pet"

Shinra tilted his head "Maybe. But a family goes through that at least once in their lives. And if she's that freaked out, maybe she just forgot to tell us a few things"

Izaya smirked at him "That was oddly defensive. Do you have a little crush there Shinra? Most likely for Kira since you know her more. They're good friends after all, would be only natural that you'd want to impress her I suppose"

Shinra startled "N-no! No way. That's not true, She's- she's not my type"

Izaya laughed "I don't even really want to know what your type is Shinra"

Kadota cringed no, you really don't

Shinra pouted "What's that suppose to mean?"

Izaya stood up from the couch and walked around the desk to start shutting down the computer. "I don't think we'll be needing this, but it's probably best to take it with us, just encase. Not sure how we're suppose to get the equipment all the way over there though" Izaya looked over at Shizuo who glared at him, immediately knowing his question.

"I'm not a damn mule!"

Izaya laughed "I didn't say anything. So touchy"

"I knew what you were thinking flea. Forget it"

Kadota scratches the back of his head before speaking "Actually. I was waiting to surprise you guys. I got my license over the summer, my dad gave me his old van, it's a little worn down, but it still runs well"

Shinra smirked excitedly "That's great! How did you find the time?"

Kadota shrugged "My dad taught me most of it, we'd go out on drives at night. So all I had to do was show up for the big tests"

Izaya grinned "Then Dota-chin is our official wheel guy!"

Kadota faked a hurt expression "Thought I was the muscle? Feels like I've been demoted" they laughed at the joke and began packing away their equipment back in the boxes. "So I guess I'll meet you all here tomorrow with the van"

"Good thing the school is still open tomorrow" Shinra said "Bless those teachers" the others gave him a strange look and he covered his face with embarrassment. "Why did I say that?"

…..

They were greeted at the door by what they assumed was Freya's mother. She smiled at them and stepped to the side, allowing them to come in. "Freya said that you would be coming by. I didn't expect you all to be so young, but I spoke with Miasaki just the other day, she said she got some amazing help from you. I know how much she went through, so I don't think I have a reason not to trust you"

Shinra pushed his glasses up and then held his hand out. "I'm Shinra Kishitani. I guess you could say I'm the boss" he laughed nervously, Izaya rolled his eyes, he knew Shinra didn't really feel like he was, but he refrained from making a quip about it. "These are my friends. Izaya Orihara, Kyohei Kadota, and Shizuo Heiwajima. We're going to do everything we can to help"

"Sure you are" a voice off to the side sounded, a short brown haired man appeared in the doorway to their right. He glared at them as though they were intruders, Shizuo narrowed his eyes in return, not in the least bit effected by the man's attempts to be intimidating.

The woman turned to face him, hands on her hips as she spoke with an angry tone. "Don't be so rude, they are guests, they've come here to try to help us, we will be giving them a chance"

The man snorted and left them alone, making his way back into the room he appeared from. Shizuo clenched his fist angered by the man's presence. _Asshole _

She turned back to face the teens "Forgive him, it's be a hard couple of weeks for us all"

Shinra nodded "We understand"

"Well, I'm Nanaka Akiran" She motioned to the doorway "That's my husband, Jude. We also have an eight year old son, Teichi"

Izaya glanced around the narrow hallway, there were a few pictures hanging on the wall, the wallpapers were plain, the home looked simple enough. The décor was modern in appearance, so it most likely was one of those houses that had been built recently. therefore, the history was most likely very little. "How long have you lived here?" he asked

"Since Teichi was born. It was a new block of houses built on the estate, why?"

Izaya smirked to himself _man I'm good _"Just ruling out a few things, that's all. Sometimes when a house is old, it causes something called subsidence, which might cause unexplained occurrences. If this house is new, then we can rule that out already"

"We've had no experiences with paranormal activities in the house, if that's what you're asking"

Izaya smiled "That too. It just helps narrow the options down, so that we can solve the matter quicker for you" She seemed surprised by his intelligence, and he was hoping that was going to work in their favour. "We'd still like to look around, if that's all right? even if you haven't heard or seen anything out of the ordinary, there are still possibilities that a spirit might be trapped here somehow"

"But…didn't you come here to look at our dog?"

"We'll get to that. though I have a question about him, would you say that his behaviour is consistent, or does it vary, does he act like that all time?"

"I haven't seen him act any other way other then violent. He's always growling and trying to attack us whenever we get near. My children too, I honestly don't know how much more we can take of this"

"Miss Akiran told us that he doesn't act that way around your husband, have you noticed that?"

Nanaka nodded "I have. But that's not consistent either, I mean, it tried to bite him last night"

"We'll look around first. Then we'll take a look at your dog"

"Ok. My daughter took my son out to buy a costume, they should be back soon. But please, do whatever it is you need to do, all I ask is that you respect our privacy"

Shinra nodded, Nanaka left them to their work, making her way into the room her husband had retreated to. Shinra turned to his friends. "Let's split up"

…..

Once the four had familiarised themselves with the house, they met back in the hallway. "Well, nothing screamed evil spirits to me" Shinra spoke first. "Nothing moved or creaked at least"

"Same here" Kadota said

Shizuo nodded in agreement, the house was by all standards normal, he turned to Izaya. "You see anything? Sense anything?"

Izaya shook his head "Not a thing" he then walked into the room beside the front door, he shoved his hands in his pockets as he acknowledged the occupants. "We're going to look at the dog now, would you mind leading us to the backyard?" Nanaka smiled and stood up, Izaya stepped aside to allow her to go first, he glanced over when he felt a gaze on him. Jude's eyes were glued on him, glaring intently.

"Laddie. The dog's name, is Laddie"

Izaya raised an eyebrow, he then nodded and retreated toward the door, he then stopped. "Are you coming with us? Your presence might keep it calm, or so I've heard" Izaya tried his hardest not to act smug about it, he could tell the man was already against them being here. "It might help. That's all" he added, a little less complacent.

Jude stood up then "All right. I guess you got a point there"

They were led through to the open kitchen and through to the backyard by a long sliding door. The garden was half gravel and half made up of grass, it was well maintained, and a pearly white fence surrounded them. Izaya glanced around until his eyes fell on the large doghouse toward the back. "I assume the dog is in there, is it locked up at the moment?"

Nanaka nodded as she reached for her husbands hand, seeking out his protection. The four teens approach the doghouse slowly so as not to alert him too much. They halted their movements when they heard a small growl, a clink of a chain and then four white paws became visible, followed by a mixture of sandy gold and light brown fur. "It's a Corgidor" Shizuo commented, causing them to look at him. He shrugged. "It's a cross between a welsh Corgi and a Labrador Retriever" they continued to stare at him, clearly surprised by his knowledge, he rolled his eyes. "I like dogs, all right?"

Jude chuckled a little "I'm impressed. At least you realise what a special dog he is"

Izaya narrowed his eyes _oh yeah, he's special all right, cuddly mutt by day, rabid monster by night _

Shizuo knelt down a little closer to Laddie, putting them each on high alert. "Doesn't seem like he's harmful right now" the teen raised his hand toward the dog's head. "Hey boy" the blond cooed gently; everyone was tense. "You're not a bad dog, are you" cautiously, the dog sniffed him and then licked his fingers, Shizuo smiled and stroked his ears.

"Shizu-chan, the dog whisperer" Izaya teased, Shizuo rolled his eyes as he continued to stroke the pet. Izaya stepped beside him and knelt down, the dog locked eyes with him and it was then that the raven could see it. Immediately, the dog barked loudly, startling them. Laddie bared his teeth and began viciously snarling, Shizuo moved to pull his hand back but was too slow to react. Izaya fell backwards as the dog sunk its teeth into the blond's hand. "Shizu-chan!" Shizuo gritted his teeth, hissing in pain, he got between the other teen and the dog, his other hand pushing Izaya back. Shizuo pulled against the foaming mouth, he flung his arm as gently as he could, and the dog let go.

"Holy crap!" Shinra exclaimed as they scrambled backwards, the dog lunged at them, jaws snapping and teeth dripping with the blood from Shizuo's hand. Thankfully, the force wasn't enough to break the chains that bound him.

Izaya stood shakily to his feet, he couldn't believe the sudden change in the dog. He glanced over at Shizuo who was holding his left hand, trying to ignore the pain.

"Shizuo, are you all right?" Kadota asked with clear concern "Should I call an ambulance?"

"No" Shizuo gritted out "I'm fine….I think" Izaya stepped forward, taking Shizuo's bloodied hand in his own. "Well, it clearly didn't like you"

Izaya glared at him "Me? You're the one whose hand got mauled"

Nanaka ran into the house and quickly came back with a white box, Shinra held his hand out. "First aid kit? I'll take that, my dad is a doctor, so I know what to do"

Kadota looked over at the dog, it had stopped lunging but was still growling at them. "We should go inside"

As they retreated into the house, Jude remained. "I'll try to come him down" he announced

Nanaka turned to him "Don't be stupid! You'll just get hurt"

Jude smiled at her, waving a hand submissively "Don't worry. I'll be fine, just take care of our guests" and with that, she led them back into the house, Izaya took a final look over his shoulder, eyes narrowing suspiciously at the man, before following his friends.

Shizuo sat at the kitchen table as Shinra poured a decent amount of pure alcohol over his hand. The blond flinched, it stung, he couldn't ignore that, but he had a high tolerance for pain. "It was fine" he said as Shinra began cleaning the blood away. "You all saw that right?"

Kadota folded his arms and replied "Yeah. he was acting normal, just your average cute pet dog" he then looked over at Izaya. "Until Izaya got close to him"

Izaya clicked his tongue "I don't see why I'm to blame here. I did nothing to provoke it" he then hesitated before saying the next part. "There's definitely something wrong with him"

Shizuo turned his attention to the raven as Shinra began to bandage his hand. "What do you mean? you sense something?"

"When he looked at me, it was only for a few seconds, but I could see a dark shadow emitting around him. That dog is definitely possessed by something"

Nanaka gasped "Then it's true?"

Izaya nodded, he walked over to Shizuo, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe you should get a shot?"

Shizuo scoffed "That's a bit much. Do you think it's got rabies or something? You said it yourself, it's possessed" Izaya tightened his hold on Shizuo's shoulder, the blond looked at his hand and then at him directly. "Izaya, I'm all right. honest" Izaya inclined his head and then released his hold.

"We're home!" they heard a shout from the hallway. It was Freya. "Mom? Dad?"

"In the kitchen sweetheart!" Nanaka said, she then heard a pad of footsteps and her youngest came into the kitchen.

"Mommy! Lookie! Look what costume I got!" the eight old year old jumped in excitement. "It's a knight!" he exclaimed, also pulling out a fake sword. "Isn't it cool!" Nanaka smiled apologetically at her guests and then down at her son.

"It's wonderful Teichi. Calm down though, we have guests" she nodded to them and he turned his attention their way.

"Are they here to fix Laddie?" he asked innocently

Shinra smiled and knelt down beside him "We're going to do our very best"

"Teichi, why don't you put your costume upstairs in your room"

"Ok!" the boy ran off and they waited until the sound of footsteps became distant to begin their discussion.

Freya gasped when she finally saw the bloodied tissues and first aid kit strewn about the table. "What happened!?"

Shizuo held his hand up "Dog got a bit hungry, don't worry about it"

Freya shivered and then took a seat. "Do you know what's wrong with him?"

Nanaka stroked her daughter's arm in a comforting manner. Jude came into the house with a slight smile on his face. "He's calm now"

She turned to him and sighed in relief after seeing that he wasn't injured, she smiled at them. "He's got a gift. Much like you Heiwajima-kun"

Shizuo shrugged "Nah. I've just always liked dogs, I guess they like me too"

Shinra laughed nervously "Maybe a little too much" Shizuo glared at him "Shutting up"

Jude stepped beside his wife and wrapped an arm around her. "Sorry about the attack. Are you sure we shouldn't get an ambulance here?"

Shizuo shook his head "It doesn't hurt that much. Don't worry about it"

Freya sighed in relief, she then turned to Shinra "What's going to happen now?"

Shinra hummed in thought "Well. Idealistically, we know exactly what we're dealing with now. so I think we can come up with a solution pretty quickly"

Izaya looked over at him "Are you thinking about performing an exorcism?"

Shinra nodded "I think it's the only way. Of course, I won't be able to do that" Shizuo raised an eyebrow as his friends looked over at him. "Shizuo, you can take a shot, right?"

"You're the only one that can perform such a task Shizu-chan" Izaya said "Besides. You're the only other one that can get close to him it seems"

Shizuo rubbed the back of his head "Yeah. I guess I could give it a go"

Izaya turned his attention to Nanaka. "Not to sound blunt. But given the risks already, I'd like to discuss fees with you-we ask a non-refundable deposit, and then the rest of the fee once we've completed the job- 14,000 yen is required now, and the remaining 20,000 will be given, only if and when we're done" Shinra, Kadota and Shizuo stiffened, they had agreed that Izaya be the one to take care of the financial side, after they had done their first job. Freya looked at her parents, she wondered if they were going to turn them away.

"I admire your confidence young man. You're dedicated. I think that given the risks, what you're asking is fair"

Izaya smiled "Thank you" Nanaka disappeared to retrieve her purse, Izaya glanced at Jude, half expecting him to protest. He remained quiet, though he wouldn't take his eyes off him. Nanaka came back with a slip of paper in her hand and handed it to Izaya. The raven nodded his thanks and placed it in his back pocket, his hand grazed another paper which reminded him of what he'd found earlier. "There's a question I'd like to ask" he then said "I apologise for taking this, but I found a photograph in Teichi's room" Izaya pulled out the photo and slid it on the table. "The dog in the photo that's with him, isn't the one you currently have now"

Nanaka sighed sadly and Freya sniffled. Jude frowned and wrapped his arms around them and said "It was our last dog. We've had him since Teichi was born, they basically grew up together, a couple of weeks ago, we had to put him down because he developed a tumour. What's that got to do with Laddie?"

Izaya shook his head "Nothing. I just wasn't aware that you'd recently lost a pet. Freya mentioned something about having to put a dog down before, I was just curious"

Freya bowed her head "I'm sorry I didn't tell you that before. we're all still upset about it, especially Teichi"

"He was heartbroken when Benji died. I wanted to make him happy again. I thought another dog might do that. but Teichi was still upset, and now that Laddie is- like he is, it's not at all better" Jude explained

"Getting a replacement dog just weeks after losing one you've had for so long, doesn't always make it right" Izaya said, maybe a little too bluntly, because Jude got angry then.

"What the hell do you know!? we're not here to talk about Benji! You're here to fix Laddie!"

Nanaka placed a hand on her husband's shoulder "Jude, calm down"

Izaya noticed that Shizuo had stepped closer to him, but he didn't comment on it. "Not everything can be fixed the way you want it to be. even if we succeed, Teichi might not feel the same as he did with the other dog. That's all I'm saying, it's just advice"

Jude scoffed and relented, but Izaya could see the worry in his eyes, like he was hiding something. "Just do your job"

Shinra clapped a hand on Izaya's shoulder and then turned to the family. "We'll come back tomorrow. It might not be wise to try and perform the exorcism right now, we should give the dog some time to calm down a little more. We'll be back"

Nanaka nodded and walked them to the front door. "Thank you for coming. I'm sorry again, about my husband"

"Don't worry about it. grieving is hard, even if it's for a pet, they're family too after all"

"I really appreciate you're understanding in all this. And I'm very sorry about your hand, Heiwajima-kun"

Shizuo smiled "Don't be. it's really all right"

…..

The four teens got into the van and Kadota drove them away from the house. "Did you have to mention the other dog Izaya?" he said with a sigh

Izaya turned to the front seat from the back "Yes. I was curious, and its not like Freya was going to tell us directly. You saw the man's reaction right? he's clearly hiding something, not just from us, from his own family too"

Shizuo stopped looking at his hand, he glanced up to make a comment "Have to agree with the flea this time. He knew we were suspicious of him, that's why he was getting defensive"

"No offence, but Izaya does cause that reaction in most people" Shinra somewhat teased, Izaya glared at him, making sure the other teen could see it in the rear-view mirror. "I said no offence!"

"Whatever. My point is, he can't be trusted. He knows something, and I intend to find out what. We should hold off on the exorcism for now, until we can figure out what he's hiding"

….

Izaya shifted in his bed, trying to get into a comfortable position. The house had been quiet when he got home, his parents had taken his little sisters down to visit his grandparents, and Izaya had convinced them to leave him behind. It wasn't the first time he'd been left in the house by himself, he didn't mind, but now he couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't entirely alone. Izaya sat up, he glanced at the clock, it was only twelve, he mumbled curses under his breath and pulled back the covers. A sudden slam of a door caused him to jump, it had come from downstairs. By the time he made his way toward the stairs, the sound was consistent. Almost like someone was opening and shutting the door repeatedly. Izaya flicked the light on the landing and quickly made his way down the stairs, clenching his hand around his phone that he'd grabbed before he left his room. He silently cursed that he hadn't thought to bring his knife with him too. He shook his head, this was his home after all, it wasn't like they lived in a rough area. As he got down the stairs, the sound became louder; making his way into the kitchen, he soon realised that the door to the garden hadn't been properly secured and was banging against the frame, caused by the strong wind. Izaya sighed. "I'm overreacting. Its just my imagination" he made his way through the kitchen and pulled the door in and bolted it. Izaya stilled suddenly, hearing something shuffle across the hallway behind him. He span around, nothing was there. he slowly took a few steps forward and the moment he flicked the light on in the hallway his phone rang. Izaya almost jumped out of his skin, nearly dropping his phone in the process. "Just my imagination" he muttered again, he looked at the caller ID, suddenly feeling calmer. He brought the phone to his ear. "Shizu-chan? Does your brain not compute with how late it is?" he teased instantly, hoping the edge of fear was kept out of his tone enough for the blond not to notice.

"Shut the hell up. Shinra called me, and he's now telling Kadota too. We've got a problem"

"What is it?"

"Shinra said that Freya's mom called him just now"

Izaya made his way into the living room, flicking the light on, he frowned when it didn't work, he tried again and again, but nothing. "And? More apologies?"

"Not exactly, well, there were. But the thing is- Laddie has escaped, they can't find him"

Izaya stiffened "What do you mean they can't find him? Wasn't it locked up?" the raven tried to keep the panic out of his voice. "Are you telling me there's now a possessed dog running loose?"

"Pretty much. Shinra wants us to meet up right away now, we should start from the house"

Izaya was about to reply when he suddenly heard what sounded like really heavy breathing. He felt something wet drip onto his forehead, he scrunched his nose up when he touched it, it felt slimy. The breathing got louder and Izaya slowly turned around and looked up. His eyes widened and his breath hitched, he began to shake. "Oh…god"

Shizuo could barely hear what he said "Izaya? Are we regrouping or not?"

"Shit…"

"Izaya? What's wrong?"

"Shizu-chan….."

"Izaya! What's the matter?"

"You…you gotta come….please"

"What? I can't hear you"

"It- it's here….the dog…it's standing right above me….Shizu-chan….please, please get here"

Shizuo jumped when he heard Izaya's scream and ran out of his small apartment, not bothering to lock it. "Izaya! Hang on! I'm coming!"


	12. Demonic pet part 2

_Shit, shit, shit….. what the hell is it doing there!? why the hell is it at Izaya's place! Damn it, gotta run faster! _Shizuo picked up his pace, every block he ran he was getting more worried, he couldn't get the sound of Izaya's scream out of his head, what if he got there too late? Shizuo shook that thought from his mind, he would save him, he would protect him!

Izaya jumped to the side and rolled under the coffee table, the dog lunged down at him and swiped across the glass. He cringed when Laddie snarled and snapped at him, he couldn't stay here, the dog was too close. _If I make a run for it now, it's going to rip me apart _but thankfully the dog wasn't as heavy as it looked, Izaya shifted to bend his knees as best as he could, he placed his feet against the bottom and flung the table as hard as possible. The dog whimpered slightly as the table cracked and glass shattered. Izaya wasted no time and bolted from the room, Laddie growled, shaking his head and pounced after him. The raven ran into the kitchen toward the door, he fiddled with the locks, his hands shaking in panic. "Come on…Come on" a loud snarl sounded behind him, Izaya span around and dived out of the way as the dog lunged at him. "Shit!" he made a dash for the hallway and was followed immediately. stumbling forward, Izaya slipped on the wooden floor and rolled onto his back, his eyes widened, and he let out a scream as Laddie pounced on him viciously. Izaya lifted his arm up and the dog sunk its teeth in. "Fuck!" the boy hissed and yelled as claws scraped across his flesh in an effort to get him further. Izaya's hand reached for the nearest thing to him and he swung it at the dog, both Laddie and the object of Izaya's choice-a wicker basket- thudded to the floor.

Izaya didn't care to know why they had a wicker basket, and how he was able to force the dog off him with it, he just pushed himself to his feet and ran. Tears burned at his eyelids with every step he took, the lacerations on his body were stinging harshly, and his clothes pulled against them from the blood that was seeping through. When he reached the top of the stairs, a cry of agony escaped his mouth, he fell over the step and grabbed hold of the banister. He looked round to see the dog's teeth around his ankle. "Get off!" Izaya used his other leg and kicked out harshly, knocking it halfway down the stairs. Laddie let out a small whimper and then a growl. Izaya pulled himself up and then he stumbled with blurred vision toward his bedroom. He fell against the door frame and found himself somewhere he could hide, if he kept quiet, Laddie wouldn't find him.

Shizuo reached Izaya's house _finally _he ran up to the door and fear crept up his spine. "How am I supposed to get in?" Shizuo slammed his fists against the frame. Izaya was in trouble, he didn't and couldn't care less about damage, he might already be too late. "I'll buy a new door" he muttered and kicked the door hard, once, twice and then it broke off its hinges and crashed to the floor. "Izaya!" Shizuo was on high alert, ready to defend himself against the possessed canine, but the house was quiet. He stepped into the living room and gasped when he saw the wreckage, glancing around the living room, he spotted the overturned table and glass shattered on the floor, it caused the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. He frantically began looking for the raven, and the moment his sights fell on the floor in the hallway, his blood ran cold. "Izaya…" there was blood patches all over the place, smeared across the banister; still on guard, he began to follow what was a possible trail. There was no sign of the dog so far, and he didn't know if that was a good thing, or a bad one. A bloodied handprint darkened the doorframe to what he knew was Izaya's room. "Izaya?" he called lightly.

Shizuo stepped into the room, flicking the light on, he frowned as he followed the spots of blood that decorated the carpet, leading him to the large wardrobe. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Shizuo pulled back the door.

"Shizu-chan…?"

Shizuo's eyes widened as he glanced down, finding Izaya curled up in the corner between his clothes. He bent down slowly and pulled back a few jackets to get a better look. Izaya blinked at him and his breathing picked up slightly, Shizuo saw fearful eyes staring back at him. The blond gently lay his hand on his arm. "Izaya? It's ok, it's me"

"S-shizu-chan?" Shizuo nodded, frowning at the weak voice that was coming from one normally so strong. Suddenly, shaking hands found their way to his shirt, Shizuo remained where he was, unsure what to do. "I- I was….I thought- shit…." Shizuo felt the tremors as Izaya began to cling to him, and he wrapped his arms around him.

"It's ok, I've got you, you're safe now…" Shizuo lifted him up, tucking one arm under Izaya's legs and securing his other arm across his back. "I've got you" Izaya gripped his shirt and buried his face against Shizuo's chest, light sobs caused the blond's heart to clench. "Shhh, you'll be all right. nothing will happen to you now, I promise" Shizuo sat the raven down on the bed, but Izaya wouldn't let him go. "Look at me" Izaya shook his head, his grip tightening.

"Hurts…."

Shizuo couldn't quite see the extent of Izaya's injuries, but the boy was trembling too much and Shizuo didn't have it in him to pull away yet, even though he could do so easily. "I'm here Izaya, I'm here" Shizuo wrapped his arms around him and Izaya merely clung to him as small sobs continued to jolt his body.

"W-where…Where is it?" Izaya said after a few minutes, Shizuo used the distraction to pull away gently.

"It's not here" and Izaya looked at him sceptically

"Wha..? it- it has to be…"

Shizuo shook his head "It's not here Izaya, I checked, I mean, there was no sign of it"

Izaya grabbed his shoulder, his hands were still shaking, he looked at him in half confusion half fear. "It attacked me! I- I swear…Shizu-chan….I swear, it was here…"

Shizuo held Izaya's hands, sensing a panic attack from him "Izaya, I believe you, ok? I believe you. it's not here though"

Izaya lay his forehead against his chest "I didn't….know what to do…I was scared…."

Shizuo lay his hand across Izaya's back "It's all right, I'm here" he shifted a little to reach into his pocket. "I should call Shinra and Kadota" he pulled out his phone, Izaya grabbed his wrist weakly to stop him. "They're going to be worried" Izaya didn't look at him, but Shizuo knew he wanted to say something.

"I know….I just- no, it's ok…" Shizuo frowned, Izaya wasn't acting like he usually did, and he didn't blame him. Izaya was terrified. The raven huffed a small laugh, though his eyes were puffy and still glistening slightly from where he'd been crying. "I-I can't stop s-shaking…" Shizuo sat beside him on the bed and Izaya shifted closer to him, laying his head on Shizuo's shoulder, his hand coming up to grip his arm sleeve.

"What were you going to say before?"

"It…it doesn't matter"

"Izaya I'm not going to-"

"I don't want to be alone…."

Shizuo blinked in surprise "I wasn't leaving the room, I just want to call Shinra and Kadota, they're going to wonder where we are"

"I- wasn't talking about just then….I was talking about after…" Izaya's grip tightened on his arm. "Shizu-chan….will you- will you stay with me?" Shizuo bit his lip, he'd admit, he was really worried about the boy beside him. "Please…" Izaya said when he didn't get an immediate reply.

"All right. I'll stay if you want me to. But on one condition" Izaya grunted a reply "You need to let me call our friends, and you need to let me take a look at you. I think you might be in shock and I'm worried about what injuries you have"

Izaya nodded and allowed Shizuo to stand up so that he could get a hold of their friends.

…..

"Should have got you to a hospital Izaya" Shizuo said with a frown. Izaya hissed as the blond tried as gently as possible to clean his wounds. He was sat on the edge of the bathtub, clad in only shorts now. Shizuo dunked the washcloth in the lukewarm water, emptying its red contents from the sink for the fifth time already. Izaya jolted as the cloth was pressed against his arm. "Sorry, I'm trying to be gentle"

Izaya gritted his teeth and then tried to relax. "Yeah…I know" there were teeth marks marring his pale skin, making his arm look swollen. He had cuts across his upper body and a few on his legs, the deeper ones were those on his abdomen, lining toward his left hip. Shizuo frowned, wondering how he'd gotten out of this mess alive. Izaya watched him while he tended to his wounds, if Shizuo saw the scars marking his arms, he hadn't said anything. Then again, he'd had plenty of opportunities to do so during the summer. He began to feel like he had to explain himself, less Shizuo think anything else. "I didn't do this to myself" he blurted out before he could stop himself, why did he even say that? it was obvious wasn't it?

Shizuo looked him in the eyes, not quite understanding why Izaya would say such a thing. He looked down at his arms and then it dawned on him _those scars, were they self-inflicted? _He thought. Shizuo shook his head, no, no way Izaya could have done _this _by himself. "I would never think you did. I believe you; the evidence is staring me in the face. I just don't know where it's gone"

Izaya flinched when Shizuo wiped the cloth over his ankle, it was tender, but the bite marks were less deep compared to his arm. "You- you really believe me?"

Shizuo sighed and stood up, he rinsed the cloth in the sink and threw it in the trash. He then retrieved the medical box that was sat on top of the cupboard above the sink. "Why wouldn't I?" he knelt down again and pulled out a bandage roll, he began unravelling the white material, cutting three strips, two short and one long.

"I guess I just- I don't know, maybe you thought I was crazy"

Shizuo huffed a small laugh "You are" Izaya tensed slightly, so Shizuo carried on quickly before the raven could get the wrong idea. "You're crazy, but not _crazy _does that make sense? You're like- I don't know, the good kind of crazy, I guess. Ah, I really hope you know what I mean, damn it, I'm not good at this"

Izaya found himself chuckling a little, watching Shizuo stammer over his words was amusing. "I get it. Don't strain yourself Shizu-chan, you'll hurt your head"

Though Shizuo rolled his eyes, he was beginning to feel relieved that Izaya was beginning to act like himself again. Using the longer cut strip first, he moved to wrap it around Izaya's waist, where most of the deeper cuts were. He then wrapped and secured one of the smaller strips around Izaya's arm. "You realise that I've had to give you first aid like this twice already since we met?"

"I hardly think the two relate. The first was merely caused by a bunch of _human _idiots, and they barely hurt"

Shizuo continued and wrapped the last bandage around the bitten ankle. "Whatever. Still twice, regardless"

"Neither one my fault"

Shizuo sat back, admiring his handiwork with a small smile "Not bad, if I do say so myself"

Izaya gave him a small smirk "Sadist much?"

Shizuo frowned at him "You're sick. I was talking about the first aid"

Izaya laughed "Relax, I was kidding"

Shizuo huffed and then smiled, hearing Izaya laugh like that made him feel calm, because he couldn't get the image of the raven so frightened, out of his head. The sound of a loud voice in the near distance caused them both to jump.

"Shizuo! Izaya! We're- here…." they heard Shinra's voice trail off, no doubt he and Kadota had seen the mess already. There were fast sounding footsteps and then the two of them burst into the bathroom, Shinra's eyes widened at the sight of his best friend, though it wasn't half as bad as when Shizuo had first started to clean him up. "Izaya….a-are you- ok?"

Izaya suddenly felt very exposed, all eyes were on him now. "I'm….all right, they hurt, but it's not as bad as it looks….though I have taken a few pain killers"

"What the hell happened?" Kadota asked, it was clear that Izaya had been attacked, and the scratches on his skin pointed to animal, therefore was obviously their missing demonic dog.

Izaya bit his lip, his hands tightening their grip around the edge of the bathtub, he really wished he wasn't almost naked right now. Even during the summer, he rarely only wore shorts, and that had felt an entirely different situation. He stood up slowly, making sure to place his weight on his good ankle. Shizuo stepped beside him, holding his hands out slowly toward him, Izaya shook his head. "Don't worry….I'm all right, I just want to get some clothes on, kind of cold from sitting here for so long"

…..

After Izaya was dressed, the four sat in his bedroom, Izaya explained his side of the story and neither Shinra nor Kadota had any reason not to believe him. "The question is, how did it get into your house in the first place" Kadota said.

"The door to the back yard wasn't secured properly. But I'm more curious as to how the hell it got out, I bolted the door before I even saw the thing" Izaya seemed calmer now, and Shizuo was relieved, he'd never seen the boy so frightened, even when they were at Kira's house.

"It definitely wasn't here when I got in. I would have noticed" Shizuo replied

Izaya then had a sudden thought, he was too busy trying to shake off the tremors to ask before, but- Izaya looked over at him with a questioning glance. "How did _you _get in?"

Shizuo's cheeks tinted a shade of red as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh…I thought- I mean, you were in trouble so….I kind of, broke your door down"

Izaya gaped at him for a moment "You broke my door?"

Shizuo frowned "Well how else was I supposed to get in!?"

"There's a key hidden in the flowerpot"

"You didn't tell me that!"

"Oh. Right, sorry, I guess I was too busy- trying not to get ripped to shreds!" Izaya huffed "Almost everyone thinks about looking for a key before they decide to break down someone's door!"

Shizuo growled "Well I guess _I _was too busy worrying about you to give a damn!" he immediately closed his mouth after realising what he'd unwillingly blurted out, the two teens looked away from one another, not entirely sure if maybe they were now slightly embarrassed by the admittance.

Shinra laughed nervously for a moment, although inside he was just dying. He'd been worried sick when Shizuo had called them, telling him that Izaya had been attacked by the same dog they had observed during the day- and in his own house no less. It would have been clear to anyone how worried he was; he was Izaya's best friend, and even he wasn't willing to admit to him just how concerned he'd been. Yet, Shizuo did just that, without even a hint of hesitation, he really wished he had more back bone. Shinra frowned, why shouldn't he tell Izaya that he was worried? They were best friends, the raven knew how much Shinra cared about him anyway right? it wasn't as if Izaya was going to get the wrong idea or anything, it wasn't as if he was outright fucking confessing his damn love. "We were all worried about you" Shinra cursed himself for being a coward _we _not _I _damn it. "I think the mess _in _the house is a little more of concern then your door right now"

Izaya looked at him, he'd been in shock since he had hidden in the wardrobe, now that it was wearing off, his mind was clear to think. Kadota spoke before he had the chance to reply. "Yeah. it's kind of a mess. Good thing you mostly have wooden floors"

Was it really that bad? He just remembered trying to run away from the damn thing. Though he might have guessed there was probably blood- Izaya somewhat shivered, he'd been lucky.

"We'll help you clean everything up. Don't worry" Shinra told him. "Your folks aren't coming back until the end of half term break right?"

Izaya nodded and then sighed as he stood up from the floor "Has anyone told the Akiran's about spotting the dog?"

Shinra shook his head "Not yet. Now we know that you're safe. we can start-" and then Shinra's phone rang, he pulled it out from his pocket and blinked at the caller ID. "Speaking of the Akiran's" he brought the phone to his ear "Hello, Kishitani Shinra. Mr Akiran? You found him?" That caught the others attention, seriously? how? "O-ok. but shouldn't we take a look at-" Shinra looked at his phone when the call disconnected. "Guess not"

"What the hell was that?" Shizuo asked

"Well, I guess our job is over. Seems like whatever spirit was possessing the dog left on its own. Mr Akiran said that he found the dog not too far from their house""

"That's impossible! It was fucking _here_" Izaya said, it came out a little angrier than he had intended, but did anyone blame him? He was nearly almost torn apart!

Shinra held his hands up "I know! I believe you! but-"

"How long ago was this?" Shizuo asked "How long ago did he find him?"

"Sounded like he just found him, why?"

Shizuo frowned in thought, he had a hunch, but he had to word it right so Izaya didn't think he was going against him. "What if" The blond looked at Izaya, making sure the raven knew he still believed him. "What if whatever was possessing the dog, really did leave it, and it was the spirit that attacked you?"

Izaya raised an eyebrow, the theory Shizuo made was valid except- "You don't think I would have noticed the difference?"

Shizuo tilted his head "I don't know. you might have been in shock from the moment you saw it. all your normal logical thinking probably didn't compute during the time of the attack"

"That's true" Shinra said "If you really were in shock, you wouldn't have taken the time to figure out what was different, all that was going through your mind was to get the hell away from it" Izaya clenched his fists, damn it, he had already admitted to Shizuo of all people that he'd been absolutely terrified! He didn't need to be reminded. Izaya sighed in annoyance, but, something about what Shinra was saying, made sense. Shinra knew his friend was having a hard time dealing with all this, he couldn't imagine how awful the experience must have been. "Thinking back now. was there anything that might have given away the fact that it could have been just the spirit?"

Izaya ignored the feeling of being made out that he was seeing things. But then- "Actually. Maybe…. When I first saw it- it was-"

Shizuo then remembered something that Izaya had said on the phone "You said it was standing above you, does that mean it was on the ceiling?"

Izaya looked at him, his eyes showing a little fear again as he recalled the events, Shizuo hated that look, he didn't know why, but he did. "Yes. I didn't care to figure out how at the time. But it was, it was standing on my ceiling"

Kadota leant back on his palms, this wasn't how he pictured this to all turn out. "That's just weird even if it wasn't the dog. So are we really suggesting the spirit left? and it followed Izaya here? or at least, knew he was here?"

They all nodded, Izaya seemed to be thinking more about what might have been different. "Wait. The colouring"

"Huh?" Shinra questioned

"It didn't look like what I imagined an animal spirit to look like. but I remember that the colouring was different, compared to Laddie's"

"Well I guess that makes sense, like you said, we don't know for sure what it might look like"

Izaya shook his head "No. it-" then he gasped "I think- I think the spirit that possessed Laddie is- is some kind of demonic form of-" he bit his lip "Of their first pet"

Everyone eyes widened; realization dawned on them "Are you serious!? How is that possible!?" Shizuo yelled "Is there such a thing as pet ghosts or something?"

Shinra shrugged "I've never seen a pet ghost before. then again, I've never really seen any kind of spirit until that experience at Kira's house"

Kadota shook his head, this was getting serious "Whether or not anyone knows for sure, the point is that we do have a demonic pet spirit roaming around. I don't know about you guys, but I don't believe that thing just vanished"

"But- but why was it here? after Izaya?" Shinra asked

Shizuo growled a little then "It didn't like him from the beginning right?"

Izaya clicked his tongue "I don't think that's the reason Shizu-chan. I think it knew I could see it, that shadow I saw before while we were in the backyard- it tried to get me then"

Kadota rubbed at his temples "Ok. let me see if I can understand, what exactly are we suggesting here? that it wants to kill you or-" and suddenly everyone came to the same conclusion.

Izaya narrowed his eyes, no way, no fucking way was that true. "I'm not possessed!" he shouted in defence, though he was beginning to doubt those words the moment they left his mouth. "I'm not…" Izaya suddenly bolted from the room, Shizuo stood up and ran after him.

"Izaya!" he followed him down the stairs and jumped over the door as Izaya ran out of the house, Shizuo made a grab for his wrist and pulled him back. "Stop!" Izaya span around, Shizuo couldn't see him properly in the dark, but he imagined the raven's expression was one of panic.

"I'm not possessed!" Izaya repeated

"No one said you were!" Izaya struggled to loosen Shizuo's grip, but he couldn't break the hold. "Izaya, calm down"

"I can't be…." it was then Shizuo realised that Izaya wasn't angry because he thought they believed it to be true. He was scared because he himself believed it. there it was again, Shizuo could see it, even if it was dark, that fearful look that Izaya was giving him. "Get it out!" Izaya clutched at Shizuo's shirt. "Shizu-chan! Get it out of me!"

Shizuo grabbed his arms and shook him "You're not possessed Izaya! It's not there!"

"You don't know that!"

"If it were, you would have attacked me or any of us by now!"

Izaya stilled his movements, he was truly shaking now, more terrified then he was when Shizuo found him upstairs. "What if- it's waiting….I don't want….to lose control of myself….I can't"

Shizuo sighed, glancing at the house to see Shinra and Kadota standing in the doorway looking completely shocked. If there was one thing Izaya had no control over at the moment, it was his emotions. Feeling like they were on display-since they were outside and all-they weren't exactly being quiet, and they were bound to wake the neighbours soon-if not already. Shizuo pulled Izaya close to him, not quite understanding where all this sudden need to protect him came from, or why he felt guilty about it. "I honestly don't think you're possessed. Come on, let's just go inside ok? we'll clean up the mess, get some sleep and figure out what to do once daylight breaks"

Hearing Shizuo's calm voice calmed him too. He relaxed a little, though he was blushing about how close they currently were. He laughed and pulled away. "All right. I mean we wouldn't want them to get the wrong idea or anything, we can't have them thinking we're friends now, ne?"

Shizuo gritted his teeth and shoved him "Shut the hell up"

Izaya chuckled and they both made their way back toward the house.

…

They done a miraculous job of cleaning Izaya's house, no one would know there had even been an incident to begin with. Except of course, the missing table- they hoped to replace that before Izaya's parents got back. The door was easy to repair, with a little paint and new hinges that they'd found two spares of in the shed, it was as good as new, luckily Shizuo had held back enough that he didn't manage to actually snap it in half.

In the end, all three had decided to sleep over at the house. He didn't say it, but Izaya was grateful they did. They all slept with spare duvets downstairs in the living room.

Shinra was the first one to wake up, he sat up groggily, it wasn't as if they had all gotten much sleep. He scratched his head and yawned, looking over at the rest of his friends. Of course, Kadota and Shizuo were still asleep, snoring lightly under their covers. Shinra frowned at the unoccupied makeshift bed, where was Izaya? A sudden heavy breathing sounded nearby, Shinra looked ahead of him, he was the closest to the couch and Izaya was sitting at the end of it on the arm rest. He was crouched and his fingers gripped the fabric as his body shuddered. "I-Izaya? W-what are you doing?" Izaya didn't respond, he opened his mouth, but no words came out, a string of drawl slid down his chin and he shifted forward with what sounded like a growl. "Erm…Are you… ok?" without alerting Izaya to his movements, Shinra reached out his hand to try and shake Shizuo awake. "Shizuo" Shinra tried to whisper loudly. "Get up. Something isn't right with-" and then Shinra screamed loudly as Izaya lunged forward, he knocked Shinra on his back and hissed and spluttered as his hands pushed hard against his body. Within seconds, Shizuo and Kadota were awake, the blond's eyes were wide with shock, this couldn't be happening.

Kadota noticed Shizuo's hesitation to do anything and acted. He grabbed hold of Izaya by his arms and pulled him off and away from Shinra. Izaya thrashed angrily in his arms and snarled, teeth bared as he growled viciously, just like Laddie had done. "Shizuo!" Kadota shouted to his friend who was staring at the scene with utter surprise. "Do something!" Izaya was practically foaming at the mouth as he continued to thrash around.

Shizuo clenched his fists, he'd assured him, he'd told Izaya that this wasn't going to happen. The raven had trusted his judgement and now he- Kadota lost his grip and Izaya broke free and tried to rush past Shizuo in an effort to reach the exit of the house. Without thinking, Shizuo pulled back his fist and punched him straight across the face. Izaya was flung back into the wall with a hard thud, he managed to stay on his feet and made a move to try again. "Damn it!" Shizuo moved two fingers forward and swiped them across the air. He had hesitated to do this, because the last time he used it on a spirit Izaya had been in the crossfire and he'd ended up with a couple of nasty scratches. Now, now he had to actually use it on him, he didn't know how much damage he might do. Shinra and Kadota called out to him to hurry up when Izaya came close to him. Shizuo growled and his whole body tensed. ""Nau-Maku-San-Manda-Bazara-Dankan!" Izaya's body jolted harshly and he cried out as he collapsed into unconsciousness, Shizuo stumbled back, wincing slightly from what he assumed was his forceful strength.

"Izaya!" Shinra quickly knelt beside him and lifted his body slightly so that Izaya's head was resting on his lap. He then glared up at Shizuo who looked beyond worried now. "Are you crazy!?" Shizuo's eyes remained on the raven's unconscious form, he hadn't meant to go that far, he panicked!

Shizuo swallowed the lump of fear and took a couple of steps forward. "Is-is he ok?"

Shinra seemed to pull Izaya into a protective embrace, almost as if he thought Shizuo was dangerous. "What do you think!? I mean, talk about overboard! You could have killed him!"

Kadota frowned, he swiped out an arm, as though he were shielding Shizuo from Shinra's words, like they were weapons being thrown. "Shinra, calm down. Izaya will be all right. I think you're overreacting"

Shinra's frown deepened and he lifted up Izaya's shirt in order to make his point. "You really think so!?" sure enough, there were several angry red cuts across Izaya's chest, occupying the ones he'd already received from the demonic spirit earlier, yet these ones seemed even more aggressive.

"I didn't mean to damn it! and if I didn't do something he'd still be acting like a rabid animal. I assured him that he wasn't possessed in the first place! That the spirit hadn't gotten him this way! Do you have any idea how fucking terrified he was when I found him here!? or how truly worried he was when he thought that thing might have gotten inside!?" Shizuo clenched his fists, like he was reliving the memories as he was saying them. "Someone like Izaya, would rather die than let something control him" Shizuo frowned and looked away, not wanting to see the damage he'd caused anymore. "And I thought you of all people would know that, since you claim to care so much about him"

Shinra's frown lessoned and then he glanced down at the raven in his arms. He thought he knew everything about Izaya, understood him better than anyone, but Shizuo was right. Izaya would rather suffer the consequences if it meant he'd remain himself. _Just like at the house _Izaya was willing to allow that spirit to enter his body, but he was also willing to risk Shizuo driving it out of him in order to exorcise it. Shinra simply nodded in reply to Shizuo's words yet tightening his hold on his friend at the same time.

Kadota had a feeling that they weren't done yet. "Question. If Shizuo really did manage to get that thing out of Izaya, then where is it now?"

Shinra looked up "Maybe Shizuo took care of it for good?"

Shizuo scoffed angrily "What I want to know. is how the hell it even came to exist in the first place"

"What do you mean?" Kadota asked

"In my opinion. Any kind of ghost or spirit, angry or not, exists for a reason. Unfinished business, sudden death's, revenge; whatever it is, there's always a reason"

"So what are you thinking?"

"I'd like to go back to the family and ask them more direct questions. And if I can, look around the house a little more- _thoroughly _if you catch my drift"

Kadota blinked in surprise and then a small grin formed on his lips "I see. You think they're hiding something, just like Izaya suggested"

"Yeah. or at least, one of them is. I just don't trust Jude"

"Sure, ok. we can go there" Kadota looked down at the other two "What about Izaya?"

Shizuo frowned "I'm not going to let on to them that anything happened. They'll be more suspicious. If you wouldn't mind distracting them, I can take a look around to see what else I can find"

Shinra nodded his agreement "You two go, I'll stay here and make sure Izaya is ok; when he wakes up, I'll fill him in on what's going on" They both nod and turn to leave "Shizuo?" the blond stopped by the living room's entrance, looking back, Shinra ducked his head "I'm sorry"

Shizuo huffed a small laugh, holding his hand up "Don't worry about it" and then he followed Kadota outside, Shinra heard the van's engine start and then the vehicle drive away.

The bespectacled boy sighed heavily, looking down at his friend, he bit his lip as he brushed some of the black bangs away from Izaya's face. "You'll be all right"

…..

A small breath of surprise passed Nanaka's lips when she opened the door to find Shizuo and Kadota standing there on her doorstep. On the way over here, the two had discussed that it would be for the best that Kadota do most of the talking, since the brunette was well aware that Shizuo was more pissed off then he let on. Izaya had been attacked in his own home and things could have ended up a lot worse than they had done, spirit or not, they wanted to know the reason for any of it to happen. "Good morning" Kadota said with a smile. "Or is it-" he looked at his watch "Nope, still morning" he kept his smile and waved his hand in greeting. "Sorry to bother you"

Nanaka returned the smile but kept her hand on the door "Didn't my husband tell you? the spirit has left our Laddie, it's gone now"

Kadota nodded "Yeah, he told us. But- as part of our routine, we just do a quick assessment, you know, check to make sure everything is ok" he then held up both hands "No charge for that. just wanna be sure everyone is safe"

Nanaka's smile widened a little, she closed her eyes in addition as she replied "That's really sweet. But really, it's not necessary, we haven't had any kind of attack, and Laddie is as wonderful as he was before"

Hearing Shizuo's impatient growl behind him, Kadota tried again, he let out a chuckle. "Yeah, but our boss, you know, Shinra? He's got this really caring nature, and if we didn't do our best to make sure you were all really safe. then we'd have to listen to his constant whining and honestly, it's really not worth the trouble"

"Who's at the door Mom?" they heard a voice from inside, Nanaka turned around when the door was pulled from her hold and revealed their classmate. She smiled at them "Hi guys! What are you doing here?"

Kadota waved a little "Yo. How's everything going?"

Freya nodded happily "It's good. I mean, I don't know how, but I guess the spirit just left. sorry for wasting your time"

"Don't worry about that. we just came by to do a quick check around, just to make sure it truly left you guys, just part of the job; keeps Shinra happy, he worries about these things"

Freya smiled "Wow, that's so nice" she looked up at her mum for confirmation "That's all right isn't it?"

Nanaka looked down at her daughter and a chuckle escaped her lips "Of course!" she then looked at the teens "Come on in, I just didn't want you to go to the trouble"

Kadota shook his head "S'not a problem"

"Anyone else here?" Shizuo finally spoke as they entered the house

"My husband took Teichi and Laddie to the park for a little while. I can assure you, it's safe"

Shizuo suppressed a growl at those words and they followed the mother and daughter into the kitchen. "I'm going to take a look around upstairs"

"So, where are Shinra and Izaya? They not with you?" Freya asked

"Oh, they're scouting the area, just to make sure that the spirit really vanished" Kadota replied

"Wow. You guys really do take this all seriously"

"We do"

"It's really pretty admirable"

Shizuo rolled his eyes a little and pointed his thumb toward the hallway "Kadota" the other teen looked over at him "Check the yard while I'm upstairs" It wasn't as demanding as it sounded, his eyes hinting at a distraction, Kadota caught on and nodded

"Sure. No problem"

Shizuo then left them and Kadota smiled toward them, he gestured his arm toward the garden. "Mind if we checked outside?"

Nanaka nodded "Help yourself"

Kadota tilted his head in a slight bow "Appreciate it if you came with me. I don't want to feel like I'm imposing or anything"

"Not at all. Freya can show you around. I'll make some refreshments if you would like"

Kadota considered this and figured that was probably the more subtle distraction. "Thanks"

…

Izaya stirred slightly, Shinra gasped and pulled back the damp cloth he'd been wiping over the raven's forehead. "Izaya?" he called softly, he watched as his friend moved to sit up, bracing his hands on the soft couch underneath him. Shinra had moved him in an attempt to make him more comfortable, he figured Izaya might not appreciate waking up to find himself laying across his lap. Izaya hissed at the pull of his injuries, still stinging and causing some discomfort. As he pushed himself further up, he leant against the armrest and finally gave Shinra his attention. "Hey. How do you feel?" Izaya blinked at him, he felt confused and groggy, he'd had enough experience already in his short life to know that he had probably been unconscious, that much was obvious; the question that plagued his mind was the fact that he had no idea why. Shinra could see the confusion flashing across Izaya's face and he sat back on his heels. "We were worried. Are you feeling ok?"

"Shouldn't I be?" what the hell was going on? He remembered clearing up the mess in the house, remembered feeling grateful his friends had remained with him for the rest of the night. He did remember going to sleep, at least he thought he did. He also recalled waking up to go to the bathroom, he was positive that was around, eight? And then- _I don't remember anything after that! why? Why can't I remember? _

It was like watching all Izaya's thoughts play out in front of him, Shinra let him try to process what he thought might have happened.

"What time is it?" Izaya asked, it was then he noticed Shizuo's and Kadota's absence "And where are Shizu-chan and Dota-chin?"

Shinra smiled at him "It's almost 1. And don't worry, they're fine, they just stepped out for a bit"

Izaya frowned, he knew Shinra well enough to know when he was lying. "What happened?"

"What are you talking about? You lost consciousness earlier, you're still injured"

Izaya swung his legs over the edge of the couch and leaned forward "Don't lie to me" Izaya could tell by the worried gaze in Shinra's eyes. "Tell me why there's a small gap in my memory, I got up to use the bathroom this morning, and that's all I remember. You trying to tell me I've been passed out since then just because of my injuries?" Izaya followed Shinra's gaze until they landed on his chest, he frowned and pulled his shirt up before Shinra could stop him. "The hell?" Shinra flinched; Izaya grazed his fingertips across the additional cuts, he'd seen these before, though they were more prominent this time. Then, all at once, Izaya finally figured it out. "It can't be…."

Shinra leaned forward, his hand coming to rest on Izaya's knee "We didn't know. I woke up and you were- different, vicious even. Kadota grabbed you when you attacked me"

Izaya's eyes went wide then "I- I attacked you?"

Shinra nodded "It's ok, I didn't get hurt or anything, you broke through his hold; that's when Shizuo kind of punched you in the face"

Izaya's hand instinctively went to his mouth "That's why my mouth hurts"

"To stop you….or for a better word, save you, Shizuo used that mantra from before on you, the one he used on the servant spirit at Kira's house"

Izaya inclined his head, letting his hair fall across his face to hide his emotions. "He told me that I wasn't- he said I was fine, I believed him…..trusted his instincts" Izaya snapped his head up in anger, but his eyes were clouded with the beginnings of tears. "He said I was fine Shinra!"

Shinra grabbed his hand "Izaya, no one feels worse than he does. But you're ok, he got that thing out of you"

Izaya yanked his hand away "How do you know!? no one noticed that it was in me to begin with! Did anyone actually see it leave?"

Shinra shook his head "No one can see spirits like you. but Shizuo seemed confident"

Izaya scoffed "Well I'm suddenly having a hard time believing him right now"

Shinra sighed "It's- it's not his fault Izaya"

"Tch"

Shinra stood up "Anyway. He and Kadota went back to the house"

"Why?" Izaya frowned

"Shizuo was genuinely pissed off about what happened. So he went to find out how the demonic spirit came to exist in the first place. He doesn't trust Jude, and as I recall, neither did you"

Izaya leaned forward "Shinra" he sighed the boy's name "I don't trust a lot people"

Shinra smiled "Yeah, but it's not often that you and Shizuo agree with the same instinct"

"Whatever. What exactly does he plan on doing to find this information out anyway? We both know he's not the most tactful person"

"Well, the way I understood it, Kadota was going to distract them while Shizuo looked around the house to see if maybe he could find anything"

Izaya rolled his eyes and then stood up "Though I'm not sure how to feel about him right now, we should head over to the house to make sure they don't get into trouble for _snooping_"

Shinra smiled, though he felt a little bad for Shizuo, neither of them knew that Izaya had been possessed; so why was he only blaming Shizuo? Did he trust the blond's judgement that much that he felt now betrayed for being wrong?

…

Kadota glanced over by the kitchen window from where he stood by the doghouse, he made it a point to keep an eye on her, while pretending to listen to Freya's story about some birthday party she'd gone to. Honestly, you'd think they'd never had a demonic spirit attack them at all, it was if they'd just brushed it off, like it was _normal _just an average occurrence. Once he'd checked around the yard, not really sure he was even helping, he didn't have any gifts like Izaya or possibly Shizuo. And he wasn't much with the knowledge of it all like Shinra. But if Shizuo thought he was helping, then he supposed that was just as good. They made their way back into the kitchen, Nanaka nodded toward the countertop at the drinks she'd made. "I'll just go and check on your friend" she said and turned to leave. Kadota tried to stutter out an excuse, but really, what could he really say? 'don't go up there because my friend is looking through your personal belongings' this was their house, and if he started causing suspicions then they were going to find out anyway.

"I'll check on him. You don't have to do that" he said and followed her into the hallway.

"It's really all right. you're my guests after all" and with that she began to make her way up the stairs "I don't know what I'm looking for, but I'm sure two sets of eyes are better than one"

Shizuo stilled on his way across the landing, he had only just finished looking through Freya's and the boy's room. He ran back into Freya's room when he heard her coming up the stairs. _Damn it, so much for the distraction _Shizuo hid behind the door, he listened for her footsteps and they sounded distant, so she was most likely in her own room. Shizuo let out a sigh of relief, he didn't know what the point of hiding was, she knew he was up here. he was about to remove himself from behind the door when he heard her coming back toward him. He pressed himself closer to the wall when she appeared slowly in the room.

"Heiwajima-kun?" She called and he debated or not whether to answer, but since he was now hiding behind the door like an idiot, he decided to just keep quiet. He leaned to the side so that he could watch her, she was carrying something, but he couldn't tell what it was. She seemed to glance around nervously for a few moments before deciding to place whatever she was holding in what he assumed was a storage trunk. Judging from the way she quite literally 'buried' it, her intention was to hide it. Shizuo almost stumbled as he leaned too far to the side, he winced when his hand touched the door, causing it to move. Shizuo sucked in a breath and prayed to god she didn't notice.

_Hide behind the door, what a fucking great idea _he frowned at his thoughts, he tensed when her footsteps drew her closer to where he was- and then the doorbell rang. Shizuo sighed in relief when Nanaka immediately left the room, she could have gotten Freya to answer, but he didn't care, he stepped out a little to listen.

"Hello, nice to see you again~" and Shizuo had never been so happy to hear that annoying yet way too charming voice. It was Izaya.

"I'm glad everything turned out ok for you, I trust our friends are doing their best to make sure that's true" and Shinra, obviously.

Shizuo relaxed when he heard the voices become faded as they probably made their way into the kitchen. He quickly made his way over to the trunk and pulled the lid up. Trying his best not to make too much of a mess, he rummaged through its contents.

Izaya nodded his thanks as Nanaka handed him and Shinra a hot cup of tea. "So nothing else has happened to Laddie since last night?"

Nanaka shook her head "Though we were worried when my husband woke up to find Laddie had escaped"

Izaya almost snorted at the convenience of that, but he refrained. "Your husband did? And he was the one that found him after, right?"

"Yes. when he found him, he said that Laddie was unconscious, but didn't appear harmed"

Izaya tensed knowingly _Just like me _he didn't know why, but he got the feeling that Jude had actually let Laddie off his restraints.

"We're just glad he's back with us and we can forget this whole thing"

Freya nodded "But we really did appreciate your help"

Shinra was about to reply when Shizuo came storming into the room and slammed his hand down on the kitchen table, at least he was able to control his strength. They looked down to what he'd forcefully placed there. Izaya gasped. "That's- that's an orikiri-sama, where the hell did you get that?"

"I found it"

Izaya huffed "Yes. but where?"

"Freya's room"

Freya gasped in shock "What? I've never seen that before! I don't even know what it is"

Kadota blinked and then said, "Will someone tell me what this is?"

Izaya frowned as he picked up the sheet of paper "It's a type of Ouija board, it works much in a similar way to the ones you would have seen. Though I've never actually really seen one in person, I've only read about them"

Nanaka frowned at them "How did such a thing even get into my daughters room?"

Shizuo looked over at her "You should know, since you put it there"

Freya looked at her mum with worry "Mom?"

Nanaka narrowed her eyes more deeply "That's ridiculous! You planted it!"

Shizuo growled "I saw you! I was in the room when you hid it in her storage trunk!"

All eyes were on the woman now, and Freya looked on in disbelief "Mom….why did you put this thing in my room? I don't mess with stuff like this"

Nanaka slumped and covered her face "All right! it was me! I- got it from someone I work with. I just, Teichi was so upset….I just wanted to make him happy again"

Izaya was seething, he knew first-hand how dangerous Ouija boarding was, and hearing someone else abusing that was even worse. "What exactly did you think was going to happen? That you would somehow bring back your dead pet? That you'd communicate with it and somehow it would show itself to Teichi as the pet you knew before?" Izaya creased the paper in his hand "Are you that fucking ignorant!?"

"Izaya!" Shinra tried to calm him, but Izaya batted his hand away

"If it actually were Freya, or maybe even your son somehow, I might be a little more understanding. But you're an adult who should clearly know better! Do you have any idea what you've done? What you summoned? It wasn't your precious pet; you released a demonic mutt that ended up in your other innocent dog!"

Nanaka's eyes clouded and she hung her head in shame "I'm sorry! I didn't mean for any of this to happen!"

Izaya wasn't fooled, he wasn't buying her weeping act one bit. "You let Laddie escape, didn't you?" at this statement, everyone gasped

Freya frowned at him "Don't accuse her of such a thing! What she did was wrong, but she only did it to try and heal Teichi's broken heart"

Shizuo had had enough of this, he couldn't believe that someone could be that stupid. Here they though that Jude was acting suspicious, turns out it was the mother all along. "That damn thing attacked him! Do you know that!?"

Izaya looked over at him in surprise _he really is angry _"Shizu-chan-"

"When the spirit left your dog, it followed Izaya and attacked him, it-"

Izaya had to stop him before Shizuo blurted out something that they shouldn't know, though he would admit, he was somewhat touched by his wanting to defend him. "Shizu-chan!" Shizuo stopped speaking, he glanced at Izaya and the raven shook his head slightly, Shizuo got the hint and backed down. Izaya narrowed his eyes over at the mother, motioning to the paper still in his hand. "I have a rough idea of how these work. You're supposed to bury this near a shrine, I think you buried it in the same place you buried Benji, is that right?"

Freya shuddered and her eyes widened when her mum nodded. "Mom!" she protested, not believing what she was hearing.

"Then what's this one for? This isn't the same one obviously, did you use this one too?"

Nanaka raised her head to look at the teens, there wasn't any kind of sign that she was proud of what she'd done, but she didn't look like she regretted it much either. "Yes"

Izaya didn't think he wanted to know, because he had a feeling already "What for?"

"You"

"What!?" Shizuo yelled and Kadota had to grab his arm to stop him from throwing a fit.

Izaya did his best to remain calm "Was it because you knew I'd find you out? Because I saw the spirit in the dog?"

Nanaka nodded. "I heard about the Orikiri-sama design to ensure that participants contribute to a death spell, and- and you were the target. I didn't think it would work quite the way it did, I let Laddie out before I went to sleep without my husband knowing. When he fled the yard, I guess the spirit took him to find you"

"It is somewhat impressive that you were able to do that"

Shizuo snapped his attention toward him "This is not ok flea! She could have killed you!"

Nanaka's eyes widened, and this time her frets were real "I didn't mean to! I was scared, scared of being caught. I knew you were more suspicious of my husband….so I used that as cover"

"Not to mention the fact that you were going to blame your daughter by planting that in her room. Good thing Shizuo saw you" Kadota said

Nanaka turned to her daughter, grasping her arms, tears falling down her face. "Please forgive me sweetheart….I just want my family to be happy"

Freya still couldn't believe her mother could do this, but they'd been through so much. "Why didn't you just tell me? Even when you knew I'd ask them to come here"

Nanaka gave a small smile and looked at them "I didn't expect them to be this smart" Izaya's lips curved into a slight smirk before it disappeared again. "If- if the spirit did attack you, then you must have gotten rid of it somehow, right?"

There was silence as the teens were contemplating what to tell her. Izaya spoke first. "Do you know that to stop this, the curse is returned to its caster in order to leave the one that's targeted unharmed? That's why it's called a death spell"

Nanaka gasped "W-what are you saying?"

"Ordinarily that is the case, but not I'm experienced enough to do such a thing. I think, given the amateurish way you handled all this, that the demonic spirit can be easily dealt with by a good enough Mantra. A _real _casting from a Ouija board like this would be a much larger scale and a hell of a lot more dangerous"

Nanaka and Freya sighed in relief

Shinra, Kadota and Shizuo were once again impressed with Izaya's intellect, not only did know exactly what she'd done, he also came up with a plausible solution, one in which they had already done, without even letting on they had.

The sound of the door opening and then closing again reached their ears. Izaya shoved the sheet of paper into his pocket as the sound of a bark and then excited footsteps approached them. Teichi and Jude stilled in surprise when they saw who was in their kitchen. Shinra smiled with a wave "Sorry for the intrusion. We just wanted to make sure everything was ok" he said with kindness.

Jude sighed a little in frustration, but he couldn't find it in himself to be that mad. "Well, thanks. I guess. Now if you're done investigating, I hope you know that we don't technically have to pay you the rest of the money, since the spirit left on its own"

Izaya grinned and was about to reply, but Nanaka beat him to it. "Don't be silly! They did all that research and risked their lives just to help us out"

Jude tsked and turned his attention to her. "That's what the deposit was for! We're not giving them anything else"

Nanaka placed her hands on her hips "What _I _do with _my _money is up to me. And I say they deserve the money. I'm not asking _you _to pay them"

Jude shoved his hands in his pockets "Suit yourself"

Izaya chuckled inwardly _I can see who wears the pants in this relationship _

Laddie barked excitedly when he saw Shizuo, the blond laughed and knelt down to greet him. "Hey boy" Izaya rolled his eyes. But before Laddie reached Shizuo, he suddenly whimpered a little and stopped, backing up in what looked like fear.

Teichi knelt beside his dog and stroked his head "What's wrong Laddie?"

The others watched as Shizuo stood up, Izaya frowned at him and then he saw it- _it didn't vanish, it jumped! _"Get them out of here now!" he shouted the warning abruptly at Shinra and Kadota.

Kadota looked at him in surprise "What?"

"That spirit didn't leave! It's in him! Get everyone out now!" Shizuo snarled loudly and span around, his attention now on Izaya. "Shizu-chan, you can fight it!" Shizuo lunged forward, Izaya turned and dashed out of the kitchen, and into the backyard.

"Izaya!" Shinra called out, he then frantically turned to Kadota "What do we do!? Neither of us are strong enough to hold Shizuo back!"

The family were in shock as they watched the scene unfold before them. Kadota gritted his teeth. "Gotta try. If Shizuo hurts Izaya, he'll never forgive himself" he then ran outside after them.

Shinra stared in disbelief, that spirit- it was in Shizuo all that time? _Was his body subconsciously fighting it?_

Izaya ducked as Shizuo came at him, the blond crashed into the fence behind. Shizuo hissed and spluttered as he jumped, hands raised as he continued the chase. "Shizu-chan!" Izaya stopped running, facing him with determination. "You're too strong to be taken by a spirit! You're the son of a priest, you have strength no human possesses and-"

"Izaya forgodsake run!"

Izaya's eyes widen as Shizuo reached forward, Izaya withdrew his flick blade and swiped Shizuo across the chest. It stopped the possessed blond for a moment, and Izaya wondered whether there was a flicker of recognition before it died and Shizuo snarled as he reached the raven in mere seconds. "Shizu-chan-!" hands grabbed his throat tightly, Izaya gasped immediately and dropped his knife in favour of trying to remove the offending hands. "Shi- shizu-chan….." Izaya's vision started to blur as he looked into Shizuo's eyes, trying to get through to him. "Please…..Shizu-chan…."

Kadota clenched his fists and turned toward the patio furniture that was situated in the corner for when the weather was warmer. He ran over and grabbed one of the chairs before turning back and heaving it up above his head as he ran as fast as he could. _Sorry Shizuo _he thought before bringing the chair down as hard as he could over his friend's head. Letting out a loud growl, Shizuo jolted forward and Izaya was released.

Izaya coughed weakly from the ground as air rushed back into his lungs. He glanced up at the still violent Shizuo and brought himself to his feet with a stumble. He then spread his arms out and shouted. "You want me!? Then leave him and come get me!"

"Izaya no!"

Izaya narrowed his eyes and then with a shriek, the spirit possessing Shizuo left him and the blond collapsed. Izaya bit his lip and stepped back. Everyone gasped, they could all see it now. "Come on! I'm right here!" the demonic spirit thrust forward violently and Kadota wasn't going to just stand there and let it attack his friend. Izaya gulped and took a couple of steps back with tense motion. And just as the spirit neared him, he threw something high into the air, confusion set in as the demonic mutt suddenly changed its target, it let out a low growl and a bright white light flashed across them. Once their vision cleared and they removed their hands from their faces, they were left in a state of wonder. Izaya breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed on his hands and knees, Shinra ran outside and was by his side in seconds.

"Are you all right?" Izaya nodded silently and allowed Shinra to help him to his feet. "Wh-what just happened?"

Izaya clung onto his arm, exhaustion was truly setting in now. "It's over…"

"How is- how did you-"

Kadota was knelt beside Shizuo, making sure the blond was ok, he looked up at Izaya who was supported by Shinra as they made their way over. "What was that? I could have sworn I saw-"

Izaya smiled a little "That's right. see, Hitogata's aren't just designed specifically to curse someone, they can also be used as cleansing spirits. When I began to first get my suspicions about the family, I made a Hitogata for each of them just encase. It was tricky, I'd never anything like that before, and I honestly didn't think what I'd done would work. Remember when I said that to end the curse you have to turn it back on its caster?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, when I threw that Hitogata just now, it was Nanaka's, and I used that as a substitute for the demonic spirit, along with myself as a distraction of course, since it was after me to begin with"

Kadota blinked in surprise "And you had no idea what you were really doing?"

Izaya chuckled "Not really, I mean, I had the basic idea in my head; but the spirit could have just as easily ignored the formation of Nanaka and gone directly through me instead"

Shinra gaped at his friend, he was so unpredictable sometimes; Izaya was terrified of that demonic mutt, yet he just risked his life based on a slim chance that his idea would even work. _One minute he's afraid and then the next he's confident and cool as a cucumber…. _Shinra smiled to himself _that's why I love him so much _Shaking his thoughts from his head, he glanced down at Shizuo. "He ok?"

Kadota nodded and pulled the blond up by his arm so that he could drape Shizuo over onto his back, stumbling a little from his weight. "Yeah. he'll be fine"

Izaya didn't say anything, barely sparing Shizuo a glance; his thoughts were conflicted, and he didn't have the energy to sort them out right now. Izaya knew he couldn't really blame Shizuo for being wrong, he knew the blond didn't have a great deal of experience in sensing those things like Izaya. Shizuo trusted his instincts more then his abilities, and at the time, Izaya had done the same. Because he had trusted that Shizuo was right, he had felt some kind of betrayal when everything turned out to be wrong. Shizuo was probably feeling guilty, about being wrong and about what he had to do to drive the spirit out. Now, he would feel even worse once he woke up, it might take a while to recall the events, but he'd certainly feel ashamed. "Let's go home" he finally said

Shinra nodded and they made their way back toward the house, the family was staring at them in what must have been pure confusion. Nanaka bowed her head apologetically. "I'm truly sorry for everything" Izaya frowned and brought out the slightly screwed up paper, it was the Ouija board, and he ripped it into pieces and then placed it into her palm.

"Next time, I suggest trying the _normal _way to support your grieving son, and learn to own up to your own mistakes"

Nanaka sent him a small glare, but she knew the boy was right, their family had a lot of issues to work through now, and they owed the teens for even making that possible.

….

As Kadota drove down a familiar street, Shizuo stirred awake in the back of the van, where Izaya was sat in the seat next to his sprawled out body. Shinra was occupying the passenger seat, he glanced into the rear-view mirror. "I think Shizuo is waking up" he informed mainly Kadota, since the brunette's focus was the road.

Kadota smiled at hearing this "Good"

Izaya glanced at the blond but didn't turn his full body

Shizuo lay a hand over his face. "What the hell happened?" Shizuo spoke with a gruff tone, he grunted as he sat up. "My head is pounding"

"It'll pass" Izaya told him without even turning around.

Shizuo looked at him and then scanned over their surroundings, realising they were in the van. "Where are we going? What about Freya and her family? We still need to-"

"It's over" Izaya said bluntly

Shizuo blinked at him "What do you mean?"

"The spirit is gone now"

Shizuo frowned, he was so confused "It came back!?"

"It never left" Izaya looked at him then, turning his full attention to him. "It jumped"

Shizuo was about to reply and then Izaya's words seemed to sink in. "Me?"

Izaya nodded "Yes. Your body must have suppressed it for some time, it was only when Laddie tried to greet you did it surface. Pets have a natural ability to sense things a normal human can't sense. When Laddie backed off right away, I knew something was wrong, and I saw it too"

Shizuo's eyes were wide and his fists clenched "I- I didn't….Izaya, did I hurt anyone?"

A small hesitation on his part, Izaya didn't want to lie to him, but he knew that if Shizuo found out about how he almost strangled him to death, it'd be much worse. "No. it all worked out in the end"

Kadota didn't let on that he was surprised, but Izaya caught the nod of approval from him in the mirror, silently telling him that he'd done the right thing.

"Then how did- who exorcised the spirit?"

Izaya gave him a smirk "I did" he chuckled a little at Shizuo's surprised expression "Serendipity I guess"

Shizuo would question him about it later, how Izaya really did exorcise the violent demon, but for now, he just inclined his head and avoided the raven's gaze. "Thanks…..I owe you, Izaya" Izaya could tell that Shizuo was still feeling guilty about what happened at his house, he couldn't deal with him when he was like that, he didn't know how to.

"It wasn't your fault Shizu-chan. So forget about it" Izaya smirked at him "You should be grateful, I mean, you got to punch me in the face ne?"

Shizuo rolled his eyes and scoffed, then he gave Izaya a smirk in return "Yeah, actually that did feel pretty good"

Shinra slumped in his chair, a small frown of confusion _I don't get those two at all _he exhaled, as if to catch their attention. "Now that that's over with. Does everyone still wanna do a horror marathon in two days? Halloween"

Neither of his friends hid their displeasure and Shinra already knew his answer. "I think we've had enough experience of the real thing this week" Kadota said, knowing the others agreed with him. "We can always go to the festival that's on at the west gate park. Take our minds off what happened; kimono's, food stands, games and probably fireworks, maybe a few fair rides"

Shinra beamed excitedly "That's a way better idea then what we originally wanted to do!"

Izaya huffed a laugh when he saw Shizuo's lack of agreement "You don't want to, Shizu-chan?"

Shizuo shrugged "I don't mind really. Beats just sitting indoors I guess. My disagreement was the part about kimono's, can't really see any of us in them. It's weird"

Izaya laughed "It's tradition" he then linked his fingers and stretched his arms forward "Besides, I think I'll look rather _pleasing _in a kimono" Izaya gave him a sideways smirk "Don't you think so?"

Shizuo gritted his teeth and snapped his head to the raven, and although he yelled, his cheeks were the slightest bit pink. "The hell are you asking me for!"

Izaya outright burst with laughter then, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms half around the head rest of Shinra's chair. "Shizu-chan's blushing! Ha ha. You agree with me, right Shinra?"

Shinra gave a quick nod, hiding his red face that probably looked like a tomato.

**AN: Sorry this arc was shorter than the others have been, but it was meant to be a two part special for Halloween, I just didn't have time to write both by that date. **

**Hope you all enjoyed it! **


	13. Festival

Shizuo grumbled to himself as he stepped out of his small apartment and made his way down past the block of others that were situated next to his own. He slightly blushed with embarrassment as he lifted up one side of his kimono to stop it from catching on the steps leading to the street. His kimono was white with a matching belt tied around his waist. A jacket matching the kimono's style was draped over his shoulders and down his arms, this consisted of a shade of blue that became dark further up onto his shoulders. He wasn't planning to go all out on this, his intention was to just pick a plain colour and hoped it didn't make him look too much like a girl. Why the hell had he even agreed to this? He specifically said that he was against the kimono idea, and not only did he purchase one, it was obvious that he spent his time picking out the right one.

"_I think I would look rather pleasing in a kimono, don't you think so?"_

Shizuo rolled his eyes, that was not why he decided to wear this tonight, and he hadn't been thinking about how Izaya would look in his when he saw him either. "Tch. He looks like a girl even without this damn thing...but still, he really would now" at least that's what Shizuo attempted to reason, that he only wanted to see it for himself and prove his point that kimono's were more suited to females.

Where was they supposed to meet again? Shizuo stepped onto the street and scratched his head as he looked from left to right. It wasn't as though he was lost...maybe, but he hadn't really lived here all that long, and it wasn't as if they ever went out on occasion to just have some fun. "Kadota said that it was near the school, so I'll just head there, I know how to get there at least" Shizuo began to walk his usual routine to the school, he kept his head bowed and his arms folded. He couldn't help but feel ridiculous, he hadn't even worn any of the clothing his parents had insisted on while he lived at the shrine. Yet, the moment he finally gained some friends-albeit rather questionable friends- bam, here he was, all kimono clad. Shizuo looked down at his feet, yep, even the dark beige sandals that were nestled comfortably on his feet. He sighed and wondered if anyone else at the festival that was _male _would be wearing these, they probably would actually, but he just didn't understand it.

Shizuo looked up to finally see where he was, hoping that he hadn't made a wrong turn while he had been zoning out. Everything always looked different in the dark, …. he looked for a signpost, anything to tell him about the festival nearby. _You'd think it would be marked all over if it was a big deal _he thought. He began to wonder, whether his "friends" had played a joke on him, that he was going to be the only one in a kimono; either that, or they weren't even going to show up at all. Shizuo shook his head, there was no way, he knew they were genuine by now, he was just over thinking this. After making his way over the crossing toward the street his school was on, he took a glance over on his left, at someone standing at the corner by a lamp post. Shizuo tilted his head and shrugged. "Guess I'll ask her, she's wearing a kimono after all, maybe she's going to the festival too" he shifted nervously closer until he could make out what the other was wearing. The kimono was all black with a red belt tied tight around the waist, there was a dark purple jacket over small shoulders that had printed fans across it, which were painted in beige. "Hey, um. Excuse me Miss? I'm kind of lost a little, am I heading the right way to the festival? Could you point me in the right direction?"

And suddenly the person finally turned their head toward him, and Shizuo could barely contain his surprise. "Or we could just go together, Shizu-chan"

Shizuo's eyes were wide, he hadn't even- because he couldn't see Izaya's face and- "Fuck"

Izaya raised an eyebrow and then grinned as he let out a chuckle "What? What's with the surprised face Shizu-chan?"

Shizuo was so embarrassed. "Damn it. sorry I guess. I thought-"

Izaya leaned against the lamp post, his arms crossing lightly over his waist "That I was a girl?"

Shizuo narrowed his eyes and yelled, his cheeks tinting red "It's dark ok! and- and you're small! And- shut up!"

Izaya laughed "Well, naturally I would be offended as my masculinity is being questioned, but your embarrassment is just too funny"

Shizuo growled and looked away "Just shut up"

Izaya pushed away from the lamp post, dragging a sandal clad foot across the pavement in an effort to tiptoe. Shizuo looked down at him with suspicion as Izaya grinned up at him. "Why the blush? Are you still embarrassed that you thought I was a girl, or are you embarrassed that you still think I look rather nice now that you know it's me?"

Shizuo stepped back and shoved him away "I hate you"

"Whatever you say. But you still think I look cute" Shizuo clenched his fists and began to walk down the street, Izaya chuckled "Wrong way" Shizuo halted, span around, glared at him and then walked in the opposite direction. "Just kidding, Shizu-chan" Shizuo released a frustrated yell and turned to the raven with all the intention of smacking him in the face, whether he looked 'cute' or not. But Izaya had already taken off running down the street leading up to their school.

"Izayaaaa!" Izaya grinned as he looked back at Shizuo, he knew the blond was chasing him and he waved and laughed as he picked up speed.

Shizuo reached out for Izaya's wrist when he noticed the raven slowing down, he wrapped his hand around the small arm and pulled him back so hard that he let out a surprised grunt when Izaya yelped and all but slammed against his chest. Izaya lay his palm flat out against his chest and looked up at him, just as surprised as Shizuo was. The raven could feel the heat radiating off him as they tried to catch their breath. Izaya tried to laugh it off, grinning as he took a step back, ready with a teasing quip, except that it died on his lips when he saw the expression on Shizuo's face. he couldn't place the look and that was something he didn't like, not the look itself, just the lack of understanding it. Izaya looked down at Shizuo's hand still wrapped around his wrist. "Shizu-chan, can you let go now?"

Shizuo snapped out of his daze and released his wrist almost instantly and stepped back. "Sorry" he mumbled.

Izaya turned away from him and then looked at the sign above his head and sighed in relief. "We must have run a long way, we're here already"

Shizuo blinked in surprise and stared up at the large banner above them, attached between two long poles. "I guess I would have found it eventually, I mean, the word festival is a dead giveaway"

Izaya smiled to himself, and then turned to Shizuo with a grin instead "I don't know, your brain is lacking in almost-everything, so you might not have even registered the sign"

"Do you want me to kick your ass?"

"You're the one that started insulting yourself first"

"No I didn't!"

Izaya shrugged and then they turned their attention to the side as someone called their names. "Izaya! Shizuo! Over here!" Shinra ran up to them, though he was having a harder time running in his sandals then Shizuo or Izaya had been. "You guys look great!" Shinra said and almost blushed at the sight of his best friend. _He looks so cute! _ Shinra was wearing a navy blue kimono with a white jacket, both were plain, and his belt was black with a shading of grey.

Izaya placed a hand over his hip and chuckled "I was actually mistaken for a girl just now by some idiot" Shizuo glared at him, Izaya sighed dramatically as leaned on Shinra's shoulder. "So much so, that he even had the nerve to try and proposition me!" Izaya splayed his arms out for effect "Just because I was standing on a street corner!"

Shinra and Kadota paled "What!?"

Izaya laughed, he didn't think his friends were that gullible, but he guessed wrong. "I did not proposition you flea!" came a sudden shout, Izaya smirked and Shizuo blinked, realising that Izaya hadn't actually said his name at all, nor did he indicate that it was even him that had mistaken Izaya for a female. Shizuo covered his face with his hand and Izaya laughed even harder. "I really really hate you" he muttered loudly.

"I'm so confused" Shinra said

Waiting for his laughter to calm down, Izaya then clapped a hand on Shinra's shoulder. "I was kidding about the proposition part. But I was mistaken for a girl, by Shizu-chan"

Kadota almost snorted a laugh, unsure which was funnier, Izaya being a girl or the fact Shizuo thought he was one. He turned to Shizuo with a half grin "You thought Izaya was a girl?"

Shizuo growled "It-was-dark! I was just asking for directions!"

Izaya placed his hands together behind his back "And then he chased me all the way here. If that's how you pick up girls Shizu-chan, then it's no wonder none of them from our school has approached you"

"Shut the hell up! Obviously I don't do that! and besides, you didn't seem to protest!"

Izaya grinned, eyes teasing with narrowed slits "Yes. but I'm male, so there's that big difference"

Shinra laughed nervously and stepped between them before Shizuo had the chance to lose his temper. "Let's- calm down. What do you say we enjoy the festival now? I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving! Let's get some food and have some fun, ok?"

Kadota nodded "That's what we came for anyway" he shrugged, his dark green jacket falling slightly over one shoulder, he wore a navy blue kimono with short sleeves.

The four began weaving in and out of the groups of people that were already there having fun. There were many bright circular orange lit paper lanterns that hung through strings attached to thin long poles. The further into the festival they got, they noticed the park was surrounded by a large number of multi-coloured lights, they hung low above them and perfectly lit their way through the early evening darkness. The lanterns and string of lights created a constant ominous glow, therefore having no need for electricity powered lamp posts; all natural light, no powered resources. There were tons of different kinds of food stands scattered around among different areas; from hotdogs to traditional Japanese cuisine, from donuts to candy floss and candy apples. Two base areas were situated at either ends of the festival for bathroom breaks. Many large stands consisted of ring toss, shooting targets, funny photo booths, basketball, whack-a-mole and high striker. The festival was also not without its other fun activities; such as an amusement arcade and many amusement park rides.

There was two rides of which stood out the most; a three loop rollercoaster and a large Ferris wheel that would overlook the whole park. Smaller rides; such as a ghost train, a carousel, a log flume, pirate ship, bumper cars and a fun house.

"Man. They really went all out" Kadota said as they familiarised themselves before they decided what activities to do first. Shinra nodded, though he was barely paying any attention, his gaze kept wandering over to Izaya, and how the lights seemed to reflect perfectly off of him in a way that made him appear as though he was glowing. he shook his head; maybe he should actually say something, he'd rather not be questioned as to why he kept staring at his best friend.

"It all looks pretty cool" Shinra smiled, proud of his accomplishment to actually take part in their enthusiasm.

Shizuo shoved his way past a crowd of people, who were really just standing in the way unnecessary. While he hated the mass of groups that seem to form, and the fact there were lines for, well, EVERYTHING. Shizuo opted to try and ignore all that as best he could, because he didn't get the chance to have this kind of fun often, in fact, this was probably the first time he felt as though he could share this kind of fun with actual friends. "I didn't think Halloween was a big deal for most parts of Japan" he said as they stood nearby a hotdog and burger vender that had the least amount of people waiting in line.

Kadota shrugged "I think it all depends on preference really. I heard that this festival was actually funded by our school, so we might see a lot of our classmates here"

Shizuo tsked at the last comment "Probably not in kimono's" he muttered quietly under his breath, though his friends heard him anyway.

Izaya grinned "Oh come on. It's not that bad Shizu-chan, for what it's worth, it suits you"

Shizuo rolled his eyes but there was something at the back of his mind that he couldn't help but think about. _He's not fucking flirting with me, is he? _Shizuo mentally shook his head, no, Izaya was just like that, he had no qualms when it came to boundaries of personal compliments toward his friends. Whether they were male's or not, he really didn't care, besides; Izaya acted like this with all of them, so it didn't mean a damn thing. _So what the hell was that back there? _thinking back when Shizuo had chased him and yanked him back against his chest. Their gaze toward one another was different than any other time, he didn't quite understand it himself, and it seemed like Izaya had forgotten about it already, so he figured it was his mind overthinking again. By the time Shizuo snapped out of his thoughts, Izaya's attention was already on the food stand in front of them, he'd zoned out that much it was already their turn to purchase food.

Izaya turned back to his friends, wallet in his hand, and with an offered gesture to the cart he asked, "What does everyone want?" he gave a half grin "My treat"

Shinra smiled brightly and then placed his thumb and forefinger against his chin in thought. "Hmmm. I'll have- a chilli cheeseburger please"

Izaya raised an eyebrow "You don't like spicy food Shinra"

"Well today. I'm broadening my horizons; I'm going to try something new"

"Well, don't cry like a baby when you realise it's too spicy" Izaya then turned his attention to Kadota.

"I'll just go for a plain small hotdog. If we're going on rides later, I want the food to stay down"

Izaya chuckled as he relayed his friend's order, he then glanced over at Shizuo who was still looking at the menu. "Take your time Shizu-chan, it's not as if there are other people waiting to be served or anything"

Shizuo turned and glared at the raven "Well we waited in line like everyone else for them to make up their minds! So they can damn well do the same!"

Izaya leant against the cart and couldn't help but laugh "I can't tell if you're angry because of hunger, or if maybe you'd prefer something sweet rather than savoury" Shizuo blinked at him, a little impressed that Izaya could tell that about him. Shizuo frowned as he glanced away, his eyes wandered over to a waffle stand and Izaya laughed. "Or perhaps, both"

Izaya paid for Shinra's and Kadota's food, along with three bottles of water; they said their thanks and made their way over to an unoccupied bench. "Are you not going to eat anything?" Shinra asked, he sighed when Izaya gave him a shrug.

"Want me to get you a waffle Shizu-chan? Would that temporarily stop you from being so angry?"

"I'm not angry!" Shizuo shut his mouth and Izaya grinned at him knowingly. "Shut up. And I can buy my own food" he then stormed off to the waffle cart before anyone started to gather around it again, he didn't want to wait another twenty minutes for his food.

"Suit yourself" Izaya sat himself next to Shinra on the bench, eyeing the blond as he took his time picking the right toppings. "Did he always get this cranky when waiting this long for sweets?"

Kadota swallowed the food in his mouth and then replied "Dunno. Maybe he's diabetic? His sugar levels could be low"

Shinra shook his head "I doubt Shizuo is a diabetic. He wouldn't be allowed to have what he does eat if he were. Maybe something is bothering him, he seems kind of edgy" Shinra took another bite of his burger, his eyes watered a little and he tried to hide the fact that every time he took a bite, he reached straight for his water bottle.

Izaya watched Shizuo come back over to them, with a paper plate in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. The round waffle was almost the size of the plate, with a layer of strawberries, chocolate sauce, whipped cream and colourful sprinkles. There was a fork stabbed into the middle and a knife on the side. "What a child you are Shizu-chan. I feel sick just looking at it"

Shizuo snorted "Then don't fucking look at it" he then placed the plate on his lap and began to dig into the sweet dessert, the whipped cream had melted slightly from the still warm waffle. Izaya glanced at the plate, and even though he scrunched his nose up, he eyed the fruit that was on top with more interest. He pulled his flick blade from his inside jacket pocket and approached the waffle. "Don't even think about it" Izaya pouted "You're not using that thing to take a piece of fruit from my plate. That's just about the most unhygienic thing you can do"

Shinra whimpered and they turned their attention to him, his tongue was out like a dog and he was fanning it with his hand, his water already consumed. "Sorry… I can't eat anymore, it's too hot, I need another water" he placed the plate of half eaten burger and ran over to the vending machine opposite them.

Izaya sighed "I told him he wouldn't like it" he said and then picked up the discarded plate, using the untouched fork to eat the chilli that Shinra had tried to scoop out as much of as he could.

Kadota blinked in curiosity "Is that why you didn't get any food? Because you knew Shinra wouldn't finish his?"

Izaya chuckled with a slight nod "Why bother buying my own food when I can just eat his? Besides, there's a good chance he ordered this because he knew I wasn't going to eat anything"

Kadota smiled knowingly, he didn't understand their friendship, but they looked after each other in their own way. He wiped his hands on a napkin, finished his water and waited for his friends to finish.

"That doesn't really look that appealing. I didn't figure you for the greasy food type" Shizuo said as he looked at the plate in Izaya's lap, grimacing at the amount of cheese. He was all for fast food every now and then, but that just looked like a heart attack on a plate.

"I'm not. The chilli is good though" Izaya replied as he scooped up the last bit, he held it in front of Shizuo's face. "Try it" Shizuo frowned, stubbornly closing his mouth, Izaya smirked "Unless you're worried it might be too hot for you too?"

Shizuo recognised a challenge when it was made, he grabbed the fork from Izaya and shoved the chilli in his mouth. After chewing it a little, he couldn't help but smile with a little satisfaction. "That is pretty good"

Izaya raised an eyebrow, his expression showing that he was impressed. "You should taste my father's chilli, see if you can handle that" and then he realised what he'd said, that he had basically just invited Shizuo to dinner sometime, without either of his other friends, and it felt- strange. Izaya looked away quickly, hoping that maybe Shizuo hadn't heard him.

"That an offer?"

Ok, so he'd heard, that didn't mean he wanted to take the offer.

"Sure. Why not"

Damn it. Izaya shrugged and then looked back when he felt a nudge on his arm. Shizuo held out a strawberry to him on his fork, and not just _a _strawberry, Izaya noticed it was the last one. The raven grinned happily. Shizuo was expecting him to just take the fork and be done with it. Instead, Izaya leaned forward and opened his mouth, grazing teeth across the plastic and pulled back slowly, taking the fruit with him. His eyes lifted to Shizuo's as he leaned back completely and then quietly let out an appreciative moan as the juice of the fruit burst into his mouth.

Shizuo was mesmerised, he couldn't look away, he so wanted to, but he couldn't. _shit, what the hell is wrong with me? And I swear he's doing this on purpose, no one takes a piece of fruit off their friend's fork so delicately like that. _

"Who's up for some rides!?" came Shinra's voice from beside them, Shizuo and Izaya both snapped out of their little moment, and Shizuo was actually relieved to find the raven just as embarrassed by his actions as he was. They both nodded, grateful for the distraction and stood up, ready to take their minds off everything and have some fun for once. It was a chance to unwind from school, daily home life, and certainly from their chosen paranormal career path.

The first ride chosen was the pirate ship, starting off slow seemed like a good idea, lest they have Shinra puke up the burger he'd tried to eat earlier. Neither of them were too scared to try all the rides, so naturally they braved the three loop coaster and the sky drop that took them exactly a hundred feet up into the air before ploughing them back to earth at an alarming speed. None of them would admit, that the ride had shaken them slightly, Izaya was almost sure that his hand was at least bruised from Shinra's vast grip. After that, they decided to calm their adrenaline and share a waltzers cup; though it wasn't so calm when Shizuo and Izaya decided to see who could spin them the fastest.

The four continued to make their way through the park until Izaya and Shizuo spotted something to really satisfy their need for a challenge. Bumper cars. "How about it, Shizu-chan?" Izaya turned to the blond with a smirk, sliding his hand over the bars at the start of the line entrance, luckily there wasn't much of a queue, which meant that they'd have more of a chance to get each other.

Shizuo returned the smirk and held his arm out "Ladies first"

Izaya slightly pouted and then grinned again as he took the lead "Careful Shizu-chan, this "lady" has claws, and she bites"

Shizuo snorted and shoved him forward as he walked "Just get down there flea!"

Izaya laughed as he walked backwards "You're so easy to tease Shizu-chan" a slight smirk forming on his face "And fluster too"

Shizuo's eyes widened a little, he was pretty sure his cheeks were heating up "Shut up!"

Izaya laughed again and then caught sight of his other friends who were shaking their head, he chuckled and waved his hand "Fine fine. I'll be good" he then turned to the front, not quite shaking the amused expression.

The four got to the front in no time at all, Kadota and Shinra shared one car since the bespectacled boy was too nervous to drive one by himself. Though he insisted that he be the one to drive, Kadota merely assumed it was some way of trying to impress the other raven, so he shrugged and humoured him.

Once the participants were all seated in their chosen cars, singularly or paired, they were greeted by the operator over the speaker. A few rules of the ride simulator were announced, and they were gestured to have a good time and challenge other drivers, as long as they remained respectful of others who didn't wish to "bump"

Izaya made direct eye contact with the blond opposite him, his chosen colour car was dark red- number 8, Shizuo's was a dark green- number 9. The sound of a buzzer counted down, indicating the colours from red to yellow- Izaya smirked, wrapping his hands firmly around the steering wheel, Shizuo mimicking his moves- then green! Izaya hit the pedal hard and the car sped forward, Shizuo pushed the pedal with enough force to send him straight for the raven, but instead of ploughing right into him, Shizuo swerved the car at the last minute. Izaya frowned and twisted his wheel in order to follow him, and they remained this way for quite some time.

Shinra flinched as their car rammed into the barrier for the third time. Kadota sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to remain patient. "I thought you said you could drive this thing?"

Shinra laughed nervously as Kadota once again brought his leg out to nudge them back a bit. They were jolted harshly when a car rammed into the side of them, followed by a soft yet manic laugh. Kadota frowned in annoyance over at their attacker.

"Sorry Dota-chin, but Shinra is such an easy target right now" Izaya said with an arrogant smirk

Kadota glanced just behind the raven and gave him a smirk of his own. "So are you"

Izaya chuckled, pushed his pedal hard and quickly turned his wheel, his car reversed in good speed; and instead of hitting Izaya's car, Shizuo smacked into Shinra. Izaya laughed loudly and Shizuo glared over at him. "It would have worked! But Dota-chin gave you away, sorry Shizu-chan" he continued to laugh as he sped away when Shizuo turned his car to follow, muttering an apology to Shinra and Kadota beforehand.

"I'll ram your ass into that barrier flea!"

Izaya smirked to himself as he turned his car to the right and leaned out as Shizuo almost knocked into the side corner. "I'd much prefer a less public place to be honest, not to mention the roles would be reversed"

Shizuo growled angrily, though his body was not quite agreeing with his annoyance. _I should not be thinking these things, I fucking hate him _Shizuo's anger won out when Izaya turned left and whizzed past him, the blond followed until the two were again opposite. Neither one had hit the other yet, and he'd be damned if Izaya did first. They locked eyes with one another, and both slammed their foot on the pedal, they sped toward each other, eyes clenched as they waited for the impact until- buzz! The cars slowed to a stop, Izaya and Shizuo stopped inches from each other, creating a tie.

"Too bad Shizu-chan!"

"You didn't hit me either!"

The two got out of the cars so the next group of eagerly awaiting riders could take their turn. They met up with Kadota and Shinra next to the exit and made their way around the front. "Trust you two to turn something like that into a competition" Kadota said as they stopped outside a building shaped like a house.

"It's more interesting that way" Izaya replied, then he grinned "You're just sulking because Shinra can't drive"

Shinra pouted "It's not a real car you know" he whined

Kadota snorted "Thank god. If it were real, we'd both be dead by now"

Shizuo ignored his friend's banter and looked up at the building they were next to. "What the hell is this supposed to be anyway?"

They stopped their bickers and turned their attention to Shizuo's interest. "I think it's one of those wacky houses, where certain parts of the floor move really fast in different directions. I guess it's a balance test"

Izaya jumped over the bar they were leaning on "Then I'll conquer that hands down" the raven glanced over at Shizuo "My balance is flawless"

Shizuo clenched his fists and stepped forward "We'll see about that"

Izaya shrugged and then turned to his other friends "Are you coming with us?"

Shinra slumped and shook his head "I need a break, you two go ahead, try not to break a leg, or kill each other" he moved over toward a bench to sit down, rubbing at his legs that he swore were bruised from the bumper car.

Kadota jolted his thumb "I'm gonna keep an eye on him"

Izaya waved a hand dismissively and then ran into the building with a chuckle. Shizuo frowned and ran after him when he realised that the raven was getting a head start.

Kadota sat beside his friend, quite happy to have the break too.

"They turn everything into a challenge, don't they? Can't take them anywhere" Shinra said with amusement, Kadota saw the admiration in his eyes though and the look of what he could only assume was love.

"I got a confession to make" Kadota said with a sigh

"What?"

"Before we all met up here, Shizuo and I made a plan over the phone, that we'd keep you and Izaya apart while on the rides"

Shinra blinked in confusion "What do you mean?"

"We know how you feel about him. It's not a bad thing, you can't help it I guess. But we got the feeling that you might succumb to your feelings if you were given the chance today. So we kept you from sharing the same cart with him on the rides"

Shinra frowned a little as he looked down at the floor "Oh"

"Sorry. We're just looking out for you. we don't want things to be awkward"

Shinra clenched his fists in his lap "It's not just some crush you know"

"We know. that's what makes it worse"

Shinra huffed "And how do you think I feel? Do you know what it's like to be in love with someone who probably doesn't feel the same way? For that person to not only be a male, but your best friend too?"

Kadota shook his head, feeling sympathy for the boy next to him. "No"

"No, you don't. It kills me. But I can deal with it, I've been dealing with it for months now. I just didn't think my friends would outright plan behind my back to actually keep me away from him. What if he starts to think I'm avoiding him? The least you could have done is talk to me first"

Kadota felt bad now, he hadn't thought about it that way, they only thought about how it would affect them, not shinra, and not Izaya for that matter. "I'm sorry Shinra"

Shinra sighed as he slouched forward, lowering his head "I can't tell him. I know that, so just let me deal with it my way, let me be close to him as much as I can. He's not suspected anything at all, but if I start to avoid him and act distant, he will"

Shinra had a point, a good one. They'd been the foolish ones. Kadota nodded "You're right. we shouldn't have gone behind your back"

Shinra smiled then "I know you're just looking out for me. But I'm fine, it's all ok"

Shizuo grabbed hold of a side handle as his legs were forced sideways. He tried to steady himself, but the floor was moving too fast to get himself upright. He heard a chuckle from behind him and tried to turn his head to glare while still clinging to the side. The distraction almost caused him to fall flat on his face as the floor continued to jolt his legs the other way. "You look like a flapping monkey" the voice claimed teasingly, Shizuo had lost track of Izaya at some point during the third obstacle, it was obvious that the raven was much more skilled in the balance department. Shizuo growled in annoyance and was finally able to remove himself from the fast paced floor. A sandal came over the moving floor and began moving with it. "It's not all that hard Shizu-chan"

"Fuck off. Not everyone is as good as you. I've never even been in one of these before, I'm just not that good with balance sometimes"

Izaya looked up at him as he stepped fully onto the floor that was jolting from side to side. "It's not just all about balance" Shizuo watched him start to shift his body "You have to force your body to copy it's rhythm" Izaya began to move his hips and bend his legs slightly to keep in time with the floor. "Like this" Shizuo was once again mesmerized by Izaya's movements, eyes trailing down toward his hips as they swayed. Blinking, he shook himself out of it and then noticed the raven's outstretched hand.

Shizuo frowned knowingly. "No way"

"What do you think I'm going to do? If I sabotage your balance, then I'll lose my own. I'm going to help you, so just trust me for once" Shizuo glared at the hand that was in front of him. He sighed and reached out and wrapped his hand around Izaya's. "Hold on to the side bar too" and Shizuo did as told for once with no angry remark. The blond grunted with annoyance as his body almost jolted him and he began to topple sideways. Izaya's grip became tighter and he shifted so that the two were completely opposite each other. "Let your legs move in contrast to my own" Shizuo blinked in confusion at first, until he realised that his and Izaya's side of the floor were moving in opposite directions. Using Izaya's steady hand and the grip he had on the bar, he began to bend his knees slightly and move his hips, watching Izaya's moves carefully. "There you go. Now you don't look so pathetic" Izaya grinned as Shizuo glared at him but remained in place. "I'm going to let go now. so don't fall, if you fall on me, you'll probably crush me" Izaya laughed

"I'm not that heavy you know"

Izaya shrugged and kept his rhythm as he slowly let go of Shizuo's hand. He let his arms fall by his sides as the floor moved him, perfectly in tune with it. Izaya chuckled. "Let go of the bar Shizu-chan"

"Just give me a minute!" Shizuo almost lost his concentration in the midst of his temper, he took a breath and then removed his hand, slowly letting his arms fall to his sides. "Ha!" he grinned triumphantly, his eyes looked at Izaya to gloat, but the raven wasn't smirking at him, he was actually smiling. Shizuo hardly ever saw him smile like that, at least, not with him, it had always been a teasing smirk. The two fell into sync with one another as their parallel floorboards moved them to opposite sides.

The hum of the simulator around them slowly began to shut down as the overhead lights shut off. Pulled out of their sync as the boards beneath them stopped abruptly, Izaya made a quick grasp onto Shizuo's jacket before he could fall backwards. On instinct, Shizuo wrapped his arm around the raven's waist in order to keep him from falling… It wasn't until a voice came over the intercom to explain the situation did they move from their position.

_All ground simulator rides are now being closed, please make your way to the exit immediately. The fireworks will begin in half an hour. _

Izaya chuckled at his embarrassment to seek stabilization from the blond and removed himself from the other male's space. "Let's go" he said and began to make his way through the rest of the building, of course it was much easier now that the floors were completely still. Shizuo followed after him, almost slightly disappointed that they didn't finish the course.

Shinra and Kadota looked up when their friends appeared from the exit, they didn't seem like they had been fighting. "How was it?" Shinra asked as he and Kadota stood up to greet them.

Izaya laughed "Shizu-chan did a great impression of a hysterical monkey. Or perhaps a thrashing fish forced to be out of water for too long. depending on how you looked at it"

Shizuo shoved him hard, Izaya stumbled back against the bars but still laughing. "Fuck off!"

"No need to get violent Shizu-chan. But it's the truth"

"Whatever. I guess you'll never be anything more than an asshole" Everyone seemed to blink in surprise at Shizuo's sudden hostility, it wasn't as if Izaya had gone too far, so they didn't understand why the blond was so offended.

"Shizu-chan-" Izaya watched him head over toward the bathroom stalls. "I was just kidding" he finished, though he knew Shizuo couldn't hear him. Izaya sighed and then rolled his eyes, he looked at his friends, who he was pleased to see they were just as surprised as he was.

"What's with him?" Shinra said, still staring at the spot Shizuo had been.

Izaya shrugged as he leant against the bars "Beats me"

Kadota gave him a curious look before replying, "What did you do?"

Izaya snorted, feeling slightly offended "I didn't do anything. It was harmless teasing, I know you like to think that I'm the reason he's so pissed off all the time, but I didn't actually do anything this time"

Kadota slumped, he was about to go after their friend, but Shizuo came back, seemingly calmer now, though his hand was wrapped in a load of paper towels. "I feel better now" Shizuo commented casually, though he avoided Izaya's gaze entirely, which very much annoyed the raven.

_So we're back to that are we? Stupid hot-headed brute _Izaya shrugged and moved away from the bars, Shinra followed after him.

Kadota walked beside Shizuo, glancing down "What happened to your hand?"

Shizuo grunted, holding up said hand and dismissed it. "Hit a mirror back there. I assumed Izaya might be grateful that it wasn't his face"

"That hasn't stopped you before!" Izaya quipped back from the front of them, honestly, he was more agitated by the fact that he didn't know why the hell Shizuo was suddenly so pissed at him.

"Shut the hell up flea!"

"Bite me!"

Kadota sighed "Why are you so mad at him?"

Shizuo blinked, he opened his mouth to speak and then he couldn't seem to find a plausible answer. "I-" he closed his mouth and then folded his hands behind his head as they walked. "Dunno. I guess I just am. Sometimes I don't have a reason, he just pisses me off"

Izaya turned to sideways to glance at the blond "That's a great definitive of words Shizu-chan"

Shizuo glared at him, and Izaya rolled his eyes, turning his back once more.

Shinra span around, trying to lighten the mood "Come on guys! Let's not argue now, we've had a great time so far! And I think we've got one more ride before the fireworks start. Why don't we go on the Ferris wheel, it'll be a great view I bet, and it'll give us all a chance to calm down"

Shizuo lowered his arms as they all stopped just outside a small gift shop. "We're going to be stuck up in the air, so I'm not sharing a cart with him!"

Izaya narrowed his eyes with a slight sneer "Like I care. I need to talk to Shinra alone anyway, so no need to worry about us being in close proximity brute"

Shinra laughed nervously "Erm. Ferris wheel it is then?"

Izaya glanced at Shizuo's hand and then turned into the shop "Whatever" the three watched him disappear into the shop and decided to just wait for him.

Kadota looked at Shizuo with a raised eyebrow "Don't" Shizuo said "I don't know why I'm so pissed at him. It's been a long night, and things have been pretty calm between us, maybe I just expected him to piss me off by now"

Shinra tilted his head and gave him an incredulous look "So let me get this straight. You're pissed off because he _hasn't _pissed you off?"

Shizuo snorted and folded his arms, there was truth to Shinra's words, yet that hardly seemed to make any sense. "I guess. I know that doesn't make sense, so let's just drop it"

Shinra lifted a finger, as if about to make a point. "Actually, it makes perfect sense. Izaya is kind of your opposite, he compliments your temper, is the only one capable of withstanding it, and he enjoys it as much as you I guess"

"I don't enjoy being pissed off Shinra!"

"That isn't what I was getting at. He's kind of like your vent, whenever you feel angry, be it at him or not, he's always there to take your frustration out on. Izaya probably teases you on purpose whenever he senses you about to get angry. It's not healthy to bottle it, so he feeds it and counteracts it with his own"

Kadota blinked in surprise "That actually makes sense, in a deranged sort of way" Shizuo tsked, though he would admit that it made him feel better. "But I don't think Izaya really knows why Shizuo is angry this time. I think he is genuinely just as confused as we are. I don't think he was actually _feeding _his anger, he seemed pretty annoyed"

"I suppose only Shizuo knows the answer to that"

Shizuo clenched his fists, more out of frustration for his own confused state, then out of anger for the situation. "Well I don't know! so let's just-" he was hit in the chest by a small box that had been thrown at him, he was forced to catch it before it could fall to the floor. He blinked at it and turned the box around in his hands. It was a travel sized bandage kit. Shizuo looked up at Izaya who had appeared from the shop when he wasn't paying attention.

"If you're going to go around punching mirrors or other defenceless objects, you might want to carry that around with you" that was all Izaya said before turning in the direction of the Ferris wheel.

Shinra chuckled a little at Shizuo's surprised face, clapped a hand on both the blond's and Kadota's shoulder, before following after their other friend. "Come on, we don't have much time before the fireworks go off!"

Shizuo blinked a few more times before running to catch up to them, Kadota following close behind. _The hell? _

Izaya and Shinra were the next pair to get into a cart as the wheel turned slowly to stop the next empty cart. Shizuo looked at Kadota, suddenly realising that Shinra was about to be alone with the raven. "Hey. Should we swap with one of them? I still don't wanna be next to the flea, so I'll go with Shinra"

Kadota shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Shinra knows what we were doing this whole night, he seemed pretty upset. He assured me that he wasn't going to confess to Izaya, he just wants things to remain the same, he just wants to be his friend. Besides, Izaya was the one to make the call to share the cart. If we try separate them now, he really will get suspicious"

Shizuo felt kind of bad for what they did, he didn't know what it was like to be in love with someone, and Shinra obviously treasured his and Izaya's friendship enough to keep it to himself. "I guess you're right"

Izaya and Shinra took their seat opposite each other inside the cart, the operator closed the gate beside them, and the wheel slowly moved them away from the entrance. Kadota and Shizuo were the last to get on, having the shuttle cart next to their friends. Once their gate was closed, the wheel began to turn at a more constant pace, allowing each occupant pair a chance to enjoy the view equally.

"Wow!" Shinra exclaimed once they got near the top "You can see everything from up here" the lights below began to seemingly blur into a sheet spread out over the ground. They could see the flashing neon signs from all the other rides they'd been on through the night. The festival's grounds were in direct viewpoint, and just as they got to the very top, Shinra pointed out. "Look Izaya, there's our school" Izaya turned with amusement as he shifted to glance at what was indeed their school.

"Why don't you sit down before you start to realise how high up we really are" the raven told him; though Shinra protested, Izaya knew him well enough that he would get dizzy eventually. Once Shinra was seated again, Izaya leaned forward, resting his hands over his knees, trying not to knock the other's legs in their closely confined space. "So. Why are you avoiding me?"

Shinra blinked at the completely spontaneous question. "What do you mean?"

"I don't care to know what's going on in that brute's mind to apologise for what I may or may not have done" Izaya leaned back slightly against the hard seat, he could be himself around Shinra, there was no need to hide his kinder side with a teasing façade. "You deserve better than that. So, what's with the avoidance? Have I done something to offend you?" Izaya grinned a little "Other then what I usually tease you about" Izaya's grin remained for a few more seconds before turning into a soft frown.

Shinra laughed, he didn't expect Izaya to worry about something like that. "No. of course not"

"Then what's with the distance?" Izaya punched him on the shoulder lightly "Are you jealous that I shared the rides more with Shizu-chan and Dota-chin?" Shinra almost let out a surprise yip, Izaya hit the nail on the head, though he suspected for a different reason than what Shinra had been thinking. "Are you worried about them taking your place as 'the best friend'" Izaya laughed "I thought only girls worried about things like that"

Shinra smiled a little, though he was dying inside. "Maybe a little" he may as well agree, Izaya was half right anyway.

"Shizu-chan and I can barely stand one another at the best of times. And not even Dota-chin has the patience to put up with me as much as you. So no need to avoid me like we're in third grade on a playground"

Shinra laughed "I wasn't avoiding you. Kadota told me that he and Shizuo were actually keeping me away from you" Shinra realised what he'd said too late, couldn't take back those words. _Oh crap _

Izaya raised an eyebrow "Why? Is it them that's jealous?" Izaya snorted at his own joke, they were hardly the type to care about trivial things like that.

Shinra noticed that they had looped and were heading for the top once more, he gasped then. Izaya turned his head to look over at the view, Shinra couldn't help but stare at him. Here he was, sat opposite the one he'd fallen in love with, the wind slightly moving Izaya's black strands against his face. The glow from the lights of the Ferris wheel lit up his friend's face as they passed over the top, made him look so angelic. _He's- beautiful _Shinra took a shuddering breath, the wheel had stopped for a few moments, giving everyone a chance to capture the view. But Shinra didn't care for the view below this time, he cared about what was in front of him. _I have to tell him how I feel, if I don't do it now, I'll never get the chance like this again. _The moment seemed all too perfect; an opportunity he wasn't willing to let pass him by. "Izaya…" Shinra called, Izaya turned his attention to the boy. "I- I need to tell you something"

Izaya raised an eyebrow, Shinra looked serious for once "That sounds ominous" Shinra flinched a little, fumbling with his hands in his lap. "What is it?"

Shinra looked up into Izaya's crimson eyes, he opened his mouth to say something- anything. _Actions speak louder than words I guess. _Before Izaya had the chance to lean back any further, Shinra shifted forward, closing the gap between them as he pressed his lips to Izaya's.

Izaya's eyes widened, he was so shocked that he couldn't move to protest what was happening. It wasn't until Shinra's left hand came to rest on his thigh and his other on his shoulder, did Izaya snap out of his stupor. With a grunt of disapproval, he pushed against Shinra's chest, with a little more force then intended, and the other boy fell back against the opposite seat, causing the cart to rock slightly. "Shinra…" Izaya panted slightly, having his breath taken away so suddenly. "Wha- what the hell was that? tell me that was a joke, tell me that you consumed alcohol at some point tonight…" Izaya looked at his friend's face, the boy was avoiding his gaze, his hands gripping around the bottom of his seat. His actions told Izaya that this wasn't a joke.

Shinra finally looked up at him, facing Izaya's shocked and somewhat annoyed expression. "Izaya… I love you"

Izaya's eyes widened even more, did he miss something? Since when? "You- you what?"

Shinra sighed "I'm sorry. I tried not to- I thought maybe it was a stupid faze or something…but, I fell- I've fallen in love with you Izaya…"

Izaya shifted closer to the gate of the cart "Shinra….I don't-"

Shinra nodded, gazing sadly at the ground "Yeah, I thought so. You don't think of me that way, do you?"

Izaya still couldn't believe what he was hearing, was Shinra really in love with him? "How long?"

"Does it matter? It wouldn't change-"

"How fucking long Shinra!?" Shinra flinched, maybe Izaya being angry was better.

"Six months maybe…"

Izaya gripped the gate, how had he not seen that? did he do something that would lead Shinra to believe that they could- he couldn't think of anything, he just acted like he always had done, not just with Shinra, he acted playfully with their other friends too. _Though Shizu-chan might mean something more then I'm willing to admit. _Izaya shook his head, he didn't care about that. he had to put an end to this now. "Shinra. I'm sorry if I've ever given you the impression that I- that we might-"

Shinra suddenly broke into laughter, it was blatantly forced, and Izaya could see the beginning of tears forming. "Don't be silly! It's not your fault, I mean why would someone like you wanna be with me like that anyway. You probably don't even like guys at all! Heck, I don't even know if I do. Well, I guess now I know. can't blame me for trying, though I would"

Izaya began to worry, Shinra was really rambling and he was trying to fumble for the latch on the gate. "Are you ok?"

"Sure! No problems! Just trying to get this stupid gate open so I can make a perfectly natural hasty getaway! Nothing like being completely embarrassed and trapped at the same time"

"Shinra, the latch won't open until the wheel stops"

Shinra laughed again, still fumbling for it to open "Oh good, maybe that'll be best. A quick painless exit to end my suffering"

Izaya frowned and grabbed Shinra's hands "Don't be ridiculous!"

Shinra turned and shoved Izaya backwards "Let go!" he frowned angrily through tears. "I'm sorry Izaya! You don't love me back, and you can't understand how painful that is! I should have just kept quiet about my feelings, but I couldn't anymore. It's too hard!"

Izaya simply stared at him, not bothering to get up from the small space on the floor to which Shinra had pushed him. Shinra turned for the gate and Izaya moved quickly to stop him, only realising that the wheel had stopped. "Shinra wait!" Izaya followed him out of the cart, running off the ramp. Kadota and Shizuo blinked after their friends, they shared a glance and instantly came to the same conclusion. The two ran after them, only exiting their own cart seconds after the other two had done. Izaya grabbed Shinra's wrist, he wanted to talk about it, he was shocked, and it was true that he held no feelings toward Shinra that mirrored what the boy felt. But if there was one thing Izaya didn't want to lose, it was their friendship. "Shinra!"

Shinra span around, tears staining his cheeks "Leave me alone!" Izaya felt the force of Shinra's punch on his lip push him back, Shizuo and Kadota were close enough behind them for the blond to catch him in time. Shinra ran off, losing them within the crowd of people.

Izaya pushed Shizuo off, he spat the metallic liquid that was forming in his mouth before clenching his fists. "How long have you both known?" it had occurred to him back on the Ferris wheel, when Shinra had told him that Shizuo and Kadota were deliberately trying to keep Shinra apart from him. They had known almost as long as Shinra had, maybe even before the boy realised his feelings. Izaya felt betrayed, like the life he'd created around those he thought he trusted had come crumbling down. Everything was different now. nothing would be the same.

"We- we didn't expect him to tell you" Kadota said, they were right, shouldn't have let Shinra be alone with Izaya, it was only a matter of time.

"So I guess that makes the perfect excuse?" Izaya turned to glare at them "What he doesn't know won't hurt him? Is that it? you're innocent as long as Shinra keeps his mouth shut? How could you keep something like this from me and act like it's ok!?"

Shizuo took a step forward, trying to reach the raven, if only to calm him down. They were gaining the attention from quite a few people. "Izaya-"

"Don't fucking touch me!" Izaya lashed out with his knife, though Shizuo moved in time to avoid it's sharp blade. "You just stay away from me. Both of you. I hate you. I never want to speak to you again"

Shizuo frowned "You're being childish!"

"I don't care! I have every right to act how I fucking well please! Especially when it involves being betrayed by those you thought were important to you, those you trusted" Izaya turned and ran from them, they didn't go after him; they weren't entirely sure if the raven was putting the blame fully on them, but that didn't stop them from feeling extremely guilty.

As they watched Izaya disappear, the sound of fireworks boomed in the background. Lighting up the sky with an explosion of colours, creating cheers of excitement among the crowds around them.


	14. Orphanage part 1

There were students scattered everywhere on the field, tables sat with an assigned member of what was written on the sign attached. Why the hell did they have to do this _outside!_ It was freezing, and there was snow. On. The. Field! Of all the times, the teachers pick now to come up with another way to "Broaden their choices" in life. Shizuo was more annoyed that he had been late to this event; it was their first day back at school from half term and he was late. He couldn't even see any of his friends- or at least-Kadota, since neither Shinra nor Izaya were talking to him. Shizuo and Kadota hadn't heard from them since the night of the festival three days ago. The blond sighed, his breath visibly white in the crisp morning air, thank god he brought a thicker coat this morning. There was a blue scarf tucked securely around his neck to keep the warmth sealed in.

Shizuo walked across the field, growling every now and then when a student bumped into him. There were already so many signup sheets filled, and he just knew that he was going to get stuck with one he probably hated. He wasn't sure which was worse, a week of voluntary work, or a week at school where only one of his friends spoke to him. A shout from the side caught his attention, Shizuo smiled and gave a little wave as his friend came jogging up to him. "Yo" he greeted Kadota

"Hey. Where've you been?"

Shizuo shoved his hands in his coat pockets "Overslept. I forgot we even had this today"

Kadota chuckled "Better try and pick something soon, they'll be nothing left"

"Tst. It's not like it's career week or anything. I don't see why we have to do this crap anyway. Why the hell are we being forced into voluntary work? Doesn't the term 'voluntary' mean we have a choice?"

Kadota laughed "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning"

Shizuo looked over at the tables with a click of his tongue "Shut up" he sighed and then looked back at Kadota, seeing a sheet in his hand "What did you go for?"

Kadota held up his sheet "Kind of enjoyed the lifeguard job we had in the summer"

Shizuo tilted his head in confusion "But it's winter now, and that pool only opens in the summer"

"True. But there's another swimming pool just outside Ikebukuro that is looking for help, a kids swimming club goes there"

"Oh. Any more spots for that?"

Kadota shook his head "Sorry man, only like four spaces available"

"How the hell did you get one?"

Kadota grinned at him "I got here on time"

Shizuo frowned at him and then tilted his head up in frustration "Damn. Do I really have to do this"

Kadota shrugged "Not sure if it's absolutely mandatory, but the week adds extra credit to our grades"

Shizuo sighed and stared out over the tables that were still crowded with students. "I guess. Have you seen Shinra or the flea?"

Kadota nodded "They were around somewhere earlier, haven't seen them since though. I don't even know what they picked"

The snow crunched under Shizuo's shoes as he stepped forward "Well, wish me luck"

There were many opportunities that he could have taken, those he might have liked had he been on time. He looked over at a table that appeared to be the least popular, since there were no people around it. Shizuo made his way over and read the sign attached to the side of the table. 'Orphanage' _I wonder why no one is volunteering for this _the woman who was sat at the table smiled politely at him, she was fair skinned and had her brown hair tied into a neat ponytail, she wore a long sleeved white dress and a green scarf around her neck. Her name tag read 'Marie Fitz' and underneath her name it read 'Care assistant'

"Hello young man, are you interested in volunteering for the orphanage?" she spoke so softly, and her expression was one of pleading, Shizuo felt sorry for her, there clearly hadn't been many interests. Actually, he felt sorrier for the kids that were living there.

Shizuo scratched the back of his head "Erm, I don't know. to be honest, I was kind of late getting here. I saw this table had no one around, so I…well" Shizuo blushed a little, embarrassed by his confession. "Sorry"

Marie giggled a little "It's quite all right. this time of year, we need all the help we can get. The children are very lonely as it gets closer to Christmas time. I know it's only November, but you can imagine…."

Shizuo nodded "Why is no one interested?"

"We don't get a lot of help, either they don't have time; it's too heart-breaking or they simply don't want to"

Shizuo frowned, couldn't anyone take time out from their perfect life to help others that need it? "Bastards" Shizuo realised what he said and inclined his head apologetically "Sorry"

Marie smiled "Don't worry. I won't scold you"

"I kind of want to help"

Marie stared at him in surprise "Don't feel like you have to. It's really up to you, I wasn't trying to guilt you"

Shizuo shook his head "I've not exactly had a great childhood myself, so I know what they're going through. I want to help"

Marie clapped her hands together "Oh that's wonderful! Oh…not for your childhood, but-"

Shizuo chuckled "I know what you mean"

Marie slid the sheet toward him for him to sign, a pen attached. "There was only one other student that has volunteered for this. So I'm sure he'll be grateful for a fellow classmate's help"

Shizuo blinked in surprise "Who?" he looked down at the sheet as he thought _I wonder if I know him _and then he gasped, there in a neat Kanji across the first box was the name: Orihara, Izaya. "What luck…" he muttered

Marie tilted her head "Pardon?"

Shizuo tried his best not to snap the pen between his fingers. Of all the damn places he could have signed up for, Izaya picked the one that was of least interest to everyone else, the one that Shizuo had opted for. "It's nothing. It's just that I know who'll be working with me"

"Well, at least you won't be alone"

Shizuo couldn't help but click his tongue "Trust me. I would rather that be the case"

Marie's expression turned sad "Oh. Do you two not get along? He seemed a nice boy when I met him"

Shizuo frowned _yeah, he's a real saint _in reality, the blond wasn't angry with him, Izaya could be a genuinely nice person, sometimes. But their friendship had been rocky from the moment they met. He had played the scenes from the festival over in his head since that day, and he still couldn't understand why everything felt differently when they had interacted. Shizuo slid the paper back toward her, he placed his hands in his coat pocket. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

Marie nodded "Thank you so much"

As Shizuo began to walk away, he stopped and cursed himself for his stupidity, he turned back to her. "Where is it?"

Marie chuckled "It's the first building by west gate park"

Shizuo tilted his head upwards in thought "Ah, yeah. I think I remember seeing that before. didn't think it was an orphanage though, looked more like a church"

Marie smiled "It was. Or, the building was converted to an orphanage, the design was too historic to be revamped, so we kept it as it was"

"Gotcha. All right, well, see you tomorrow" _after I report to the school at seven in the damn morning. _He smiled at her and then walked off to try and relocate Kadota. _ This sucks, of all the people to get stuck with, why does it have to be the flea_

Izaya turned the corner of the second floor corridor, he barely looked up as he ascended the flight of stairs that lead to the library. Halfway up, he bumped shoulders with another student who was too involved in their book to look where they were going. "Watch it" Izaya gritted out, not in the mood for an exchange of apologies.

There was a "Sorry" mumbled quietly back and Izaya lifted his head up then, the boy turned away from him and the raven stopped mid-step to grab the boy's wrist.

"Shinra wait-" Shinra refused to look at him, keeping his head turned away "Are you just going to avoid me forever now?" when Shinra didn't reply or even acknowledge him, he was about to let him go in defeat until the book his friend was reading caught his attention. _Shinjuku Yamabuki high? _Izaya's eyes widened "Shinra, are you thinking of transferring?"

Shinra hunched his shoulders "Don't know yet. Can you let go, I'm going to be late for class"

Izaya frowned and then released his grip slowly and watched as Shinra made a hasty getaway. He didn't know how something so simple could hurt so much, Shinra had been his best friend since the term started. Lowering his head in sorrow, he ascended the rest of the stairs and pushed open the door to the library. Finding a computer that was unoccupied, Izaya sat himself down at the desk, setting his bag down beside his feet. _If he wants to leave then fine. I didn't want to be friends with him in the first place. I can go back to my solitary life where I don't have to deal with 'friends' things will be less complicated. _Izaya clenched his fists as they hovered over the keyboard, he knew deep down that wasn't true, and he didn't want to admit that he'd been miserable without any of them to talk to. It was his decision to avoid contact with Shizuo and Kadota, but still, that didn't mean he hadn't missed them. _At least I'm not taking the coward's way out by transferring. _There was a feeling of dread that filled his heart; if Shinra transferred, nothing would be the same again. A sudden shadow appeared in his vision over the keyboard, he looked up and then frowned. "What do you want, there are other free computers"

Shizuo gripped the strap of his rucksack that was over his shoulder, he'd seen Izaya walk this way after their homeroom had ended. He glanced at the screen and noticed that it was black. "Are you even using yours, or did you just come in here to mope?"

Izaya's eyes narrowed as he leaned back in his chair "For your information, I came in here to do some research, not that it's any of your business. _I _have a free period, unlike someone else who's currently getting on my nerves"

Shizuo ignored him and took the chair next to Izaya "I wanted to talk to you about something"

"I'm busy. I also have nothing to say to you. now if you don't mind, get the hell out of my space"

Shizuo gritted his teeth "I don't understand what it is you're so fricking mad about. You're acting like a child; what Kadota and I did was for both yours and Shinra's protection"

Izaya laughed dryly "Oh please. Sparing my feelings?" he gave a snort of derision "How pathetic does that sound"

"It's true!" Shizuo flinched and hunched his shoulders when the librarian shh'd him.

Izaya almost chuckled and then forced a frown on his face "I didn't deny that it was. I said it was pathetic. The hell do you care about feelings, especially mine; face it Shizuo, you and I could never really be friends. Now that Shinra is transferring, this little façade of ours can stop"

Shizuo blinked and he barely acknowledged what Izaya said to him after hearing about Shinra. "What? He's leaving the school?"

"That's right. somewhere in Shinjuku I think. Now if you've finished gaping at me, I'd like it very much if you left"

Shizuo frowned and leaned forward "Are you honestly telling me that you're fine with that?"

"Yes. I really would like it if you left me alone, surely you want that too"

The blond growled quietly "I'm not talking about me. Are you really ok with Shinra leaving?"

Izaya shrugged "What I want is irrelevant, it's his decision" he then smirked as he turned on the computer. "You don't have a free period right now. can you really afford to skip a class? Your brain needs all the help it can get"

Shizuo clenched his fists and stood up; before leaving the raven alone, Shizuo turned slightly and said "Deny it all you want. But if Shinra really does leave, I imagine you will feel more alone then you did before you even met him. You might think that being alone is fine, but I know you really hate it" Shizuo walked away and Izaya was left to deal the fallback of his words.

Izaya sighed, placing his elbows on the desk, head in hands. "He's wrong" saying aloud didn't make it any better.

"Excuse me, are you using that?" came a female's voice beside him

Without so much as a glance at her, Izaya grabbed his bag, stood up and left with a mumbled "Take it" he all but ran out of the library and headed for the roof.

…

Day 1: Orphanage, 9:00

Shizuo walked across the short grass after opening the small gate in between the fence that surrounded the orphanage. He had to admit, he was actually looking forward to this, it got him out of school, and he was helping people. The only thing he wasn't excited about, was unavoidable in this case and that was-

"You've got to be kidding me" came a hissed tone from behind him, Shizuo frowned as he turned to face the person who'd spoken. The raven stood there, a hand on his hip, an annoyed expression on his face. "What are you stalking me now?"

Shizuo growled, a vein suddenly visible on his forehead "Of course not! I signed up yesterday, I didn't know you did too until I saw the sheet, but then it was too late to back out"

"Were you just forced to sign it, despite seeing my name on there?"

"No! she said that there weren't many people interested in helping. I felt bad, I wanted to help"

Izaya walked past him, heading to the front entrance "I'm sure she'll regret accepting your help once you start scaring the kids"

Shizuo clenched his fists and stalked after him, ready to grab him and punch his lights out. The door to the building opened and Marie stepped out, smiling as she greeted them. Shizuo stopped inches away from Izaya, his hand retreating to his side. "Welcome you two! It's so great to have you both here"

Izaya smiled "My pleasure" there was a snort behind him, and he frowned a little and then returned his smile

Marie stepped to the side and gestured with her hand to the door. "Let me show you around. The kids are very excited to see new visitors, especially ones as young as yourselves"

The two boys followed the assistant into the building. despite the architectural design, the place felt very homely and warm. A large room was situated on the right hand side just as they entered, they could see shelves of toys neatly stacked and cushioned bean bag chairs in the corner. "This is where the children mostly play when it's this kind of weather" she told them and then lead them further down the hallway. Another room that looked like a classroom, with small little desks and colourful little stalls were lined up in rows of three in front of a white board. The walls were colourful too, decorated with what looked like drawings made by the kids. There was a black boarder around the room that had the alphabet Kanji and numbers 1-10 in white. "This is our classroom; we try to teach the children basic language and math skills as much as we can. They seem to be quite fond of learning new things" making a left turn, Izaya and Shizuo were led into an open space area that held many long tables and chairs. To the far back wall there was an archway that lead into another room. "This is where the children eat their meals, we provide them with as much as they need" stepping out of the dining area, they passed by two other rooms on opposite sides of the hall. Marie pointed to the right first "The children all share one bedroom, but each of them have their own separate beds. On this side is what we just class as the first aid room. Most of the kids find it hard to pronounce infirmary" she giggled a little and then pointed down the corridor. "Further down is the wash facilities"

There was a lot more to this place then Shizuo expected, he was actually feeling happy and impressed that they could provide the children with such necessities. "So, where are they all? I expected a lot of hyperactive screaming" he said with a smile, Marie giggled.

"Oh there'll be screaming" Izaya muttered under his breath, loud enough for Shizuo to catch. "Just not sure about the hyperactive part, more like fear"

Shizuo shoved his clenched fists into his pockets, if he took a swing at Izaya now, he really would frighten someone, and he didn't want to scare Marie into thinking he was violent. "So where are they?" he said, trying his best to hide his anger

Marie gestured to the opposite way "Follow me" they retreated back the way they came and were led to the opposite side of the corridor and turned left. "As a treat, since the temperature today is a little higher, my two other friends that reside here have taken them all outside to play in the snow. They're out the back way" Izaya and Shizuo were then taken through a set of sliding doors and back out into the white blanket of snow. They were met with joyful screams as the children ran around, chucking snowballs and hiding from each other. Others were building snowmen or making snow angels. During other parts of the year, they imagined this to look more like a playground area; merry-go-round, a set of swings, a curly slide and a climbing frame. All of which were mostly covered in snow, left unattended in favour of the more appealing white powder.

Marie stepped forward and blew the whistle that was around her neck to gain the kid's attention. "Come gather around me for a moment little one's!" all at once, their heads snapped up to the woman and they darted toward her.

Izaya and Shizuo remained behind Marie for now, trying to familiarise themselves. "How many do you think there are?" Shizuo asked as Marie tried to calm them down long enough to give them her news.

"Around fifteen or so. Not as many as I expected"

Shizuo ignored the relieved feeling he got when Izaya actually spoke to him with a proper reply. "None of this was what I expected"

Izaya turned his body slightly so that he could look at Shizuo "What did you expect? Gloom and depression?"

"N-no, I mean….not exactly"

Izaya rolled his eyes "Just because their orphans Shizu-chan, doesn't mean they're all going to be walking around teary eyed all the time"

Shizuo huffed "I didn't mean it like that" and he also ignored the fact that Izaya had used his annoying nickname again and how he _wasn't _happy about it. "Just impressed is all. That the carers could do a pretty good job with what they have"

They heard the woman speak again "I'm very pleased to announce that the two boys from Raijin have arrived, I hope you'll respect them as much as you do us. They're here for the week to help you and us, I'm sure you'll have lots of fun. This is Shizuo Heiwajima and Izaya Orihara, don't hesitate to ask them questions you might have and for any help you might need" Marie turned around to the boys and smiled "They're all yours. Laira and Kayla, as well as I are always around should you need anything. Thank you again for coming"

It didn't take long for the kids to bombard the teens to join them. Two small girls and a boy grabbed Izaya's hands and began dragging him over to the snowman they had begun building. Shizuo smiled after them and then looked down to see three of the children staring up at him with excitement. "You're tall Mr!" a little girl said loudly in surprise

"Really tall!" a boy claimed

Shizuo chuckled and knelt down to their level, "Why don't you sit on my arms and I can lift you up"

The two of them squeal in happiness as they sat themselves within the crook of Shizuo's arms, he looked at the third child, another girl with pigtails carrying a small grey stuff bunny. "What bout me?"

Shizuo smiled and turned slightly "I think there might be room for you and your little friend there to climb on my back" The girl's eyes widened, and she clapped happily and climbed up onto the blond's back. "Don't forget to hold on tight" he told her softly and then stood up.

"Yay! Look how high we are! We're taller than anyone now!"

Shizuo jogged a little, keeping a tight hold on the kids as they jolted up and down with laughter. He stole a glance over at Izaya, the raven was gathering snow into a ball to place on top of a bigger ball. He assumed that to be the head of what was going to be the snowman's. Izaya felt as though eyes were on him, he turned around to meet Shizuo's gaze; seeing three kids using him as a climbing frame caused him to smile, eyes laughing. Shizuo smiled in return, shaking off the warm feeling in his chest and turned his attention back to the kids.

Izaya smiled as the kids cheered once their snowman had been completed. They became distracted after that and began to chase each other, allowing him to place his attention across the playground to other children that might need his assistance.

His eyes soon fell upon a small black haired boy, dressed in a red hooded coat and black khaki's, wearing little brown shoes. He was sat on one of the swings, gently rocking it back and forth. A couple of other kids nearby caught the boy's attention and he smiled happily before his expression turned sad again as they ran past him. Izaya made his way over and sat himself on the swing next to him. "Not playing today?" He asked softly, the boy startled and looked puzzled at Izaya for a moment. "How come you're sat here by yourself?"

The boy looked down at his feet, moving the swing slightly with the tips of his toes on the ground beneath the snow. "Cause"

Izaya raised an eyebrow, for some reason, this kid reminded him of himself when he was little. "Oh I see. That's a good reason I suppose"

The boy pouted "Don't make fun. S'not nice"

Izaya chuckled "I wasn't. I was agreeing with you. I didn't like playing with other kids when I was your age either. I just liked to watch"

"I don't. I wanna play"

Izaya tilted his head to the boy "Then why don't you?"

"They don't wanna play with me" he placed one foot up on the swing's seat and wrapped his arms around his leg, placing his chin on his knee with a sad sigh.

"I bet that's not true"

"Is too"

"Have you tried?"

The boy nodded "They don't like me. I wanna play, but they just ignore me"

"Are they mean to you?"

"No. Not really"

Izaya tipped his swing over to the boy "Were you mean to them?"

He shook his head "No"

"Then how do you know they don't like you?"

"Dunno. don't care anyways"

Izaya laughed lightly, certainly sounded like him as a child. "All right. Well, how about we have some playtime?"

The boy looked at him with a bright smile "Really!?"

Izaya nodded "Sure, if you want to. I'm not exactly going to ignore you"

"Ok! Can I show you my secret place that no one knows about?"

Izaya leaned forward, elbows over his knees "But, if you told me, it wouldn't be a secret anymore"

"Oh" the boy seemed to ponder on that for a moment before smiling "That's ok! I want you to know"

"Ok" Izaya stood up "How about this. You're the treasure hunter that's looking for gold, and I'm your assistant"

The boy giggled "Yay!"

"So, show me your secret discovery sir" Izaya said with a fake deep voice

"Follow me my assis-assi..." Izaya tried not to laugh as the boy failed to pronounce the word properly.

"Why don't you try saying helper instead?"

The boy nodded with a somewhat pout and then smiled as he turned to head for the group of trees. "Come with me helper!"

Izaya followed him into a small forest area toward the back of the playground, the trees casted shadows and it grew darker as the sky was covered by the large branches. The boy pointed toward what looked like it used to be another building. Frowning, Izaya continued to follow him as they climbed over fallen branches and jumped the small gap of a dried up stream. "So do you come here often at playtimes?"

"Uh huh. I play all sorts of pretend. But I never thought of playing treasure hunter before"

Izaya smiled as they stood before what was left of the structure, he wasn't quite sure what it might have been before, but it looked like a steeple, or perhaps a place of prayer; since the other building used to be a church. "What do you call it?"

The kid shrugged "Secret hiding spot"

Izaya laughed "Ah, makes sense" the boy's innocence made him think of his little sisters, they were always coming up with games like this. "What's your name?"

"Zack Kanata"

Izaya looked at the building "Why don't you call it Kanata temple instead? After all, you found it"

Zack jumped up and down in excitement "Wow! That's a really cool idea! Yay!"

Izaya heard a faint bell in the distance "I think that's your carers telling us we should be heading back"

"Aww. I don't wanna go back yet. The teachers won't notice anyway"

Izaya chuckled "I'm pretty certain they will. They're going to worry once they notice you're missing. Come on" Izaya turned toward the small forest and motioned for the boy to go first.

"K. But can we come back when it's playtime outside again?" Izaya nodded as they began to make their way back through the trees and stepped onto the playground again. "What's your name Mr?"

"Izaya Orihara" Zack looked at him with a blank face, not even attempting to repeat either name. The raven caught onto his confused face and laughed. "I have two little sisters about your age. They just call me Iza-nii"

Zack looked down sadly at the ground as they made their way toward the orphanage. "I don't have any brothers or sisters"

Izaya looked at him sympathetically. _Nor parents either, I imagine _

They stopped just short of the entrance, the boy shuffled his feet and then looked up at Izaya. "Would it maybe be ok, if I called you big brother? Maybe...for a little bit"

Izaya blinked at the sudden request and then smiled "If you want to"

Zack laughed happily and then ran into the building.

"Oi" Izaya turned his attention to see Shizuo making his way toward him.

"Shizu-chan, did you enjoy being a climbing frame?"

Shizuo gave a small laugh before remembering his own question. "Where did you go?"

"I'm not allowed to tell" Izaya placed a finger to his lips. "I'm sworn to secrecy. Treasure hunters don't reveal their findings"

Shizuo stared at him blankly. "Huh?"

Izaya rolled his eyes "It's called pretend Shizu-chan. Didn't you ever play that as a child?" Shizuo glanced away from him and Izaya picked up on the hint and found himself feeling a little guilty. "Right. Sorry"

Shizuo looked back at him and nodded his head to the building. "They want us to help out in the classroom"

"You didn't have to wait for me"

"Well I couldn't find you; seriously, where did you go?"

Izaya smirked at him "Were you worried?"

Shizuo tsked and shoved him lightly "The hell for?"

Izaya chuckled and the two made their way inside.

The children settled down into silence as they listened to Laira, she was explaining how to multiply different numbers, starting off with single digits. "Multiplication is a lot like adding. For example, two times two can be said as two add two, what might that be?"

A few kids put up their hands; Izaya and Shizuo were stood against the wall watching, waiting for further instructions on how they could help.

Laira pointed at a girl sat at the front "Caddie, what do you think the answer is?"

"Four!" The little girl said proudly

"Very good. Now, this might sound tricky. If I said two times four, what might that be?" The children started counting their fingers, the boy that was climbing on Shizuo earlier put his hand up. "Yes Seth?"

"Six?"

"No. Now I understand why you might think that. But when we say times, what we actually mean is to add four twice. So you could write the add sum like this-" Laira wrote out 4+4 "So you would be adding the number four twice. Or you could write this if the two numbers were the other way" 2+2+2+2 "Does anyone know what this could be?"

While Laira continued to teach the small math sums, Izaya glanced around the room and soon noticed that Zack wasn't there; he leaned off the wall and turned to Shizuo "I'm just going to step out for a moment"

"Hn? But we're supposed to stay and help"

"Relax. I won't be long; I've just noticed that a kid I was playing with earlier isn't here. I'm going to go look for him"

"Oh, ok? Shouldn't we inform the carers?"

Izaya shook his head "I'm sure he isn't far, no need to worry them. I'll be back"

Just as Izaya was about to leave, Marie called them "Orihara, Heiwajima; would you be so kind as to hand these sheets out to the children?"

Shizuo looked at Izaya and the raven sighed and made his way to the front. _I'm sure he's fine. Probably in the bathroom or something_. Izaya frowned in thought as he took half the sheets and began handing them out. _I don't think I even saw him come in here at all_ Izaya glanced at the door and was about to see to his task of finding the boy when a tug on his sleeve pulled his attention to another.

"Can you help me Mr?" A blond boy asked with bright blue eyes, pleading.

Izaya looked to Shizuo, but he was already helping a different child. Izaya smiled down at the boy and knelt beside him. "Of course I will"

Once the class was over, the children were ushered across the hallway and into the open spaced cafeteria. Marie gestured to the teens to help themselves to the food that was being served on plates to the kids. Shizuo nodded his thanks but Izaya declined. "I'd like to take a walk, if that's all right? Familiarise myself with the building"

Marie nodded with a smile and then led Shizuo to a table that the carers shared. The blond glanced back at Izaya with a little suspicion, but all the raven did was wiggle his fingers at him and skipped out of the room.

Izaya didn't even feel the slightest bit of guilt about lying to the woman, he was good at memorising, and he had no doubts that he knew his way around the place already. He made his way through the corridor that led toward the room where the children slept, he'd start with the basics before he moved on to where he had a hunch about where Zack probably was.

Izaya made a turn for the bedroom until he heard footsteps run behind him, followed by a giggle that could only be a child's. Izaya span around, a hand clutching the door frame slightly; he quickly shook his head and dismissed the panic almost immediately. Izaya chuckled a little and turned to head for the infirmary. "Zack?" He called and then peered in the room, glancing around he couldn't see anyone in there; he was about to leave until his eyes landed on two small feet that were sticking out slightly under the bed. Izaya rolled his eyes, though humorous, and walked to stand beside the bed. He bent down and tilted his head to get a better look. "I could see your feet you know" Zack shuffled back a little, tucking his feet under him. "Not sure if that counts now that I've already found you. I didn't know we were playing hide and seek"

Zack wrapped his arms around his legs, there was a sad look in his eyes and Izaya bent down a little further, almost laying across the floor by now. "Aren't you supposed to be having lunch? Where did you go? I didn't see you in the classroom either" Izaya continued.

Zack shrugged "I don't like class. Everyone hates me and ignores me anyway"

_This again huh? I didn't know little kids could be this pessimistic_ "Surely not all of them, maybe they think you hate them, have you ever thought about that?"

Zack looked up at him and shook his head. "No. But- even the people that look after us ignore me"

"Well, there's a lot of you to take care of for just three people. Have you tried to talk to them by yourself, perhaps when they're not so busy, better at playtime"

Zack shook his head again "At playtime, I just sit alone, cause nobody wants to play with me anyway"

Izaya chuckled and sighed "Sounds to me like you don't want to play with them either"

"Big brother?" Izaya was surprised by the name for a second before remembering that was what Zack wanted to call him.

"What is it?"

"Will you play with me at playtimes always?"

Izaya smiled and shifted under the bed slightly "I'll play with you, but you have to promise to try and get along with the other kids, and the carers; I'm sure they're only worried about you. Remember though, I'm only here for a week"

Zack nodded "Wish it was longer"

Izaya laughed and shifted to his knees. "If you promise to come out from under the bed and go get some food, I'll come for visits sometimes"

Zack smiled brightly at him "You mean it!?"

Izaya nodded "Of course" he then smiled and held his hand out "Now come on, before they really start wondering where you've gotten too, and before my own classmate starts looking for me"

Zack giggled "He's really tall and looks always angry and stuff"

Izaya grinned a little before a genuine smile crossed his face "He is, but he's not that bad, he's- he's a good guy" Izaya motioned again with his hand "Let's go" Zack smiled and then placed his hand in Izaya's, and the raven pulled him out from under the bed. "Go and get food" Zack nodded and as he ran from the room, Izaya couldn't help but stare at his hand _what was that? _

"There you are. The hell are you doing down there? They asked me to come find you encase you got lost or something"

Izaya looked up from his hand and chuckled "I was looking for Zack"

"Who?"

Izaya rolled his eyes "The absent boy I was telling you about"

"Oh. Did you find him? Was he hiding there or do you normally like sitting on the floor of random rooms?"

Izaya pouted at him and Shizuo couldn't help but chuckle. "Shut up. I found him, he was hiding actually, I coaxed him out. Didn't you see him pass you?"

Shizuo shook his head "Maybe he went the other way or something"

Izaya sighed and placed his hand on top of the bed to haul himself to his feet. A sudden wave of dizziness overcame him and Shizuo was on him in a heartbeat as Izaya swayed against the bed. "Whoa..."

"Izaya? What's wrong? Are you ok?"

Izaya blinked and then straightened when the dizziness passed. He chuckled a little and batted Shizuo's hand away. "I'm fine. I think I stood up too fast I guess, I'm good now" Shizuo frowned at him, eyes following the raven as the teen made his way toward the door, "Coming?"

Shizuo soon followed after him, still frowning. Izaya never got dizzy like that for no reason, if ever; it came on suddenly and he was extremely pale.

...

The two teens left the orphanage for the day, leaving behind smiling and waving children. The carers bowed politely to them as Izaya and Shizuo smiled and waved as they strode backwards toward the gate. Izaya glanced over and gave a direct wave to Zack as he stood beside Marie, he waved with both hands and shouted, "See you tomorrow!"

They turned and walked past the fence and headed down the pathway. "Well that was kind of fun. I actually feel good about myself"

Izaya chuckled and shoved his hands in his pockets "You certainly seemed to bond with the kids, I didn't expect that of you"

Shizuo snorted and gritted his teeth "Why, because I'm a monster?"

Izaya stopped walking, simply staring at him as the blond continued to walk on. Izaya knew he should apologise or say something to counter his insult. When was he going to admit that he cared about Shizuo more then he let on. Shizuo responded to teasing and his temper just always amused him; but sometimes, even Izaya's own insults didn't feel right when he said them _He deserves better then how I treat him_

Shizuo realised that nobody was walking with him and turned around, finding Izaya further back and staring at him. "What's the matter?"

_And he hasn't even reacted to what I said, he should at least be angry_ Izaya thought back on Shizuo's words from the library, the blond didn't know how true those words were, didn't know how much they made Izaya realise what his friends really meant to him. He'd never been happy with companionship before until he met them. He didn't understand why his feelings felt different when it came to Shizuo, but that didn't matter at the moment. The important thing was to keep his friends close and act more like they mattered. Shinra was a different situation, he had no idea that the boy held such feelings for him, and now he was going to transfer because of it. Izaya didn't know how to make it right, and he wasn't about to try by himself.

"Izaya?" Izaya blinked when he noticed that Shizuo had made his way back and was now standing inches in front of him.

"Ah, sorry. I was spaced there for a second"

Shizuo frowned "Are you sure you're ok?"

Izaya nodded and glanced down at the ground, kicking up some snow with his foot. "I was thinking..."

"I'll say. You were zoned out for like five minutes"

"You did the right thing. With Shinra I mean"

"Huh?"

"I was just angry at the time. And kind of in shock, the kiss was not at all expected. But, you and Dota-chin were just being good friends, it was only right that he be the one to tell me. I was wrong for being angry that you didn't"

Shizuo's mouth fell open, an outright apology from Izaya was rare and he couldn't think of anything to say.

Izaya continued "And you were right about another thing. I know I don't act like a friend should, I have a hard time dealing with certain emotions, I'm not used to having friendship, but I've gotten used to having the three of you around that I don't want the bonds to break" Izaya looked up at him, sincerity in his eyes "I value your friendship Shizu-chan, and I don't treat you as one nearly as much as I should"

Shizuo was absolutely flabbergasted, where the hell was all this coming from? Had spending the day at the orphanage made Izaya realise how lucky he was to have what he did? Family, friends...well, it certainly made Shizuo realise. Even if it was Izaya, and that sometimes the raven would really tick him off, it didn't matter, he was still a friend. _A friend huh? Pretty sure you don't feel strange feelings toward a friend_ Shizuo mentally shook those thoughts away, he opened his mouth to finally reply "We're good. Don't worry about it. I get why you were pissed. But, I'm going to accept the apology anyway, because one coming from you is rare and practically non existent"

Izaya huffed and did his best to shove Shizuo backwards, the blond just laughed. "I hate you..."

"Yeah? well that makes two of us. And I'm not too thrilled about you either, so we'll just be bad seeds together"

Izaya chuckled "How pathetic is that?"

"Shut the hell up" and it was Shizuo's turn to shove the raven, which unfortunately, ended with Izaya flat on his back in the snow. Shizuo blinked and glanced down. "Whoops"

"Shizu-chan!" Izaya sat up with a shiver "Ah, that's so cold" Shizuo held his hand out while a grin was plastered on his face. Izaya frowned up at him. "Helping me up? I should hope so"

Shizuo rolled his eyes and hauled the raven to his feet. Izaya bumped against his chest, he laughed lightly, pressing his hand against it and pushed back slightly. There it was again, that same feeling from the festival was back. The warmth, the look Shizuo had given him, one that he was giving him now.

"Izaya...we should...get...home" Shizuo said slowly as he couldn't take his eyes off the smaller boy before him.

"Yeah...it's cold..." the two leaned in, Izaya slowly balancing on the tips of his toes.

"It's snowing..." their faces inches from each other

"Uh huh..." closing their eyes, lips touched one another and Shizuo wrapped his arm around Izaya's back to bring him closer. There was a faint moan-neither sure from whom it came- as their kiss deepened slightly. Izaya wrapped his arms around Shizuo's neck, pressing himself closer into the blond's warmth.

Only when a second moan came from their lips and the snow got heavier did they separate and realise what had happened. Both eyes were wide, and they panted a little, before stepping back from each other. Izaya was the first to react, Shizuo stared after him as the raven ran off, didn't try to chase him.

They had kissed

Shizuo had kissed him, or did Izaya kiss him? Or was it both?

He didn't care. All he knew was that he'd figured out what was different about their interactions at the festival, the strange notions...and it certainly had nothing to do with friendship. "Shit"


	15. Orphanage part 2

Day 2

Shizuo yawned as he made his way through the school gates, he'd barely gotten any sleep the previous night. Thoughts of what happened after he and Izaya had left the orphanage plagued his mind. What did this mean? why had it happened? Did this make them more then friends now? they had kissed! He had kissed 'the flea' his annoying yet persistent friend. It was clear that neither one had expected it to happen, and Izaya running away seconds after was his first clue. If anything, the raven was more shocked over it then he apparently was at the time; but damn it, that kiss felt so right, so….good. it wasn't as though Shizuo had a kiss to which he could compare it to; that's right, the sad truth was that the kiss was his _first_, and until now, he never pictured his first kiss to be with a male. Shizuo wasn't naïve, he'd been _noticing_ both genders in the same way for a few years now, back halfway of middle school. No one knew, not even his brother, to whom he told everything to. Of course no one knew, because let's face it, his parents had already thought there was a demon inside him without that factor, so telling them he liked both girls _and _guys was absolutely taboo.

Turning in to the locker room, because he had to bring his first report to his homeroom teacher before heading off toward the orphanage, Shizuo made his way toward the stairs that would lead him there. just as he took the first step, he glanced up to see none other then Izaya, the one who had been constantly on his mind since yesterday. "I-Izaya" Shizuo managed get out, cursing himself for the slight stammering over the name. He immediately noticed how off the raven was acting, and since he was avoiding his gaze, Shizuo was willing to bet he felt just as awkward as he himself did. Shizuo thought about what had happened between Shinra and Izaya after the festival, they hadn't spoken in days. He felt so bad for that-and he was surprised to find that he didn't want the same thing to happen with him and Izaya. There was a difference though, if you compared their situation to the one involving Shinra- Izaya had kissed him back! There had to be some mutual feelings there, otherwise Izaya would not have hesitated to stop the kiss as soon as Shizuo pressed his lips on him.

Shizuo was still unsure who had initiated it first, from what he could remember, they had both reached for the other at the same time. In some way, that made him feel better about what they'd done; yet he still felt guilty too, because Shinra was his friend, and he knew he'd gone against some kind of friendship code. Maybe that was why Izaya ran away? Or the likeliest of reasons was shock.

Without so much as a grunt of reply, Izaya sidestepped to the other side of the staircase and began to pass him. So that was how it was going to be? the raven just wasn't going to speak to him? Completely avoid him when at all possible? Shizuo refused to let that happen, that kiss meant something damn it! whether Izaya wanted to accept it or not. Anger took over as Izaya took the last step off; gripping the banister, the words left his mouth before he could even try to stop them. "Do you avoid everyone that kisses you?" Shizuo turned to make a grab for Izaya's wrist. "Izaya wait- I didn't mean that!" but Izaya was already gone, the fast tapping of his shoes going distance suggested he was running away again, and this time, Shizuo didn't blame him. "Shit!" inclining his head with a sigh of regret, he made his way up the stairs. "I totally screwed that up"

…

Izaya ran until he was no longer within the school's grounds and well on his way to the orphanage, he stopped by the corner of the street that the foundation was on. Izaya leaned against the wall, just to catch his breath, and _not _to hide the fact that Shizuo's words _hurt. _Angrily wiping away the wetness from his eyes, he pulled himself together after his racing heart begun to beat at a normal rhythm and walked the rest of the way to the building.

He was tired, up all night thinking about what had happened. Shizuo might have thought his avoidance was due to shock or just plain spitefulness, as insinuated with his last words. Truth was, that he wanted to avoid Shizuo because he was confused, unsure about his feelings and what that kiss truly meant. You didn't kiss someone like that if there wasn't some kind of physical attraction, or even an emotional one, or both. Izaya had no idea what to do, what to think- he was aware of such feelings, but he never thought it would happen to him, and at such a youthful age, he didn't know how to deal with it. When they had kissed, his first instinct was to run away, it was a natural defence mechanism he'd developed overtime in order to avoid any sort of closeness.

The situation had been the same with Shinra, in a way. Izaya had tried his best to avoid becoming friends with him at the beginning, but the boy was way too insistent, and after a while, Izaya realised how important their friendship was.

The sudden thoughts of Shinra made him sigh, because now they weren't even talking. Honestly, Izaya had to have been completely ignorant if he didn't notice that his best friend had fallen for him. He really didn't have a clue, he thought back on the times they'd spent together, and wondered if he'd somehow led him on without realising. Izaya couldn't think of anything he'd said or done that he hadn't normally done. When Shinra kissed him on the Ferris wheel, he didn't run away-not that he could have anyway- but rather, he'd chased after Shinra to try and talk about it. Izaya realised that what he felt toward Shizuo was beyond friendship, because when Shizuo had kissed him, Izaya ran away. Was it Shizuo that kissed him? Or was it the other way around? Maybe it was mutual….. either way, Izaya was struggling with the notion.

To some degree, it was obvious that whatever this was between them, the feelings were definitely not one sided. Izaya just couldn't figure out why, why now? what had changed to make them feel differently? Or had it always been there? he blamed the festival entirely and was actually beginning to hate the memory of it, it was at that point that everything changed.

Izaya found himself at the gates of the orphanage, deep in his thoughts so much that he didn't realise he was there already. "Working here will take my mind off them for a while" he muttered to himself as he pushed open the gate and made his way down the path leading up to the building. The statement would have worked completely, had he not of had to work with Shizuo too, because that was just _too _easy, wasn't it?

Shaking his head, he suddenly remembered Zack. The boy who he had met in the playground, he had been different to all the other kids, as if he was completely out of place there. The other kids acted accordingly, laughing and playing around, trying to make the best of their situation, not thinking about their previous homelife-if they ever had one. Zack, however, wasn't the same, he was set so far apart from them and it made Izaya feel bad for the kid. In a place like this, he knew he probably shouldn't get attached to an individual, but Zack was always so sad, he just wanted someone to give him attention. Izaya knew it was hard sometimes he guessed, to give one kid out of fifteen or so, more attention then another; and for three carers, it might seem not all that difficult, until you accounted the fact that one of them also cooked and the other was a nurse to provide the children with any first aid that might be needed. Smiling a little to himself, he opened up the door to the building. _I guess that's why we're here to help _

"Izaya!" came a shout from behind, Izaya didn't turn to acknowledge the call of his name, because he knew who it was by the rough edges of the voice. Shizuo stopped once he'd reached his side. "Ready for the day?" Izaya couldn't help but roll his eyes at the lamest attempt at casual conversation he had ever been witness to.

"We're classmates while we're here. I don't want the kids or the carers to feel awkward. Other then that, we're nothing beyond this building, so don't get the wrong idea"

Shizuo frowned, trying not to get pissed off again. He grabbed the door before it hit him in the face as Izaya swung it open all the way. "You can't possibly believe that" he said through gritted teeth.

Izaya turned to him then, eyes narrowed, yet there was a hint of denial in what he was about to say next. "The kiss meant nothing. That's it. it happened and I'm over it" he then made his way through the corridor without another word.

Shizuo growled and clenched his fists "Fine. Have it your way, flea"

…

It was cold outside, more so then yesterday, so the children were playing indoors. Izaya and Shizuo found them all inside the large play area, where they were spread out in little groups with those they got along with the most. Each group were playing a different game; some were playing with toy cars; some were building objects with bricks; others were drawing. Marie and Laira were in the room with them, standing off to the side encase they were needed. Marie turned to the boys with a smile and then walked over to them. "Good morning. Welcome back, the kids have been looking forward to seeing you again" she gestured around the room "Please, feel free to interact, I'm sure they would love to involve you" the two nodded; and avoiding each other, they began to walk around to see if any of the kids wanted their help.

Shizuo knelt down with the small group that were playing with the bricks, it was the same three that he'd let climb all over him yesterday. It seemed to make sense to him that he interact with those who were already acquainted with him. He smiled when they looked happy to see him, so he sat crossed legged on the floor within their circle and got to work in adding to the bricks as they were passed to him. "What are we building?" he asked with mild amusement.

The girl smiled brightly and added another brick to the already long tower. "Don't you know what it is Mr?" she asked with a small hand on her hip.

Shizuo chuckled at her little try for an attitude "Sorry, I guess I don't"

She huffed and shook her head, and Shizuo knew that she was only playing around. "It's Tokyo tower!"

Shizuo looked at the bricks going up in one straight line. Was that what it was meant to be? he then remembered that they were five and six, so to them, they were doing a very good job. "Oh. Yeah. I see it now" he really didn't, but he wasn't going to upset them by telling them so. Grabbing a few bricks of his own, he began to place them at the bottom. "You know. the tower should have a much wider base, and the bricks should be built inwards, so that the whole tower doesn't fall over. what do you think?"

The three kids cheered and agreed immediately as they began to help Shizuo form the base at the bottom. "Yay! This way, we can make the tower pointy like it is in real life!" the girl said excitedly, causing Shizuo to chuckle once more.

Izaya glanced over at the corner of the room from his spot on the carpet, where he was currently playing with toy cars. The kids had grabbed his attention before he could make his way over to Zack, he wasn't about to ignore them, he was there to help, and favouring one kid over the others just seemed mean. Once again though, Izaya realised Zack was sat by himself, watching some of the kids drawing. Sighing, he made a move to stand up, crouching up on his feet. "I'm going to see if anyone else wants my attention now all right?" he told his group softly and they nodded happily.

"Come back to us soon! The bus can't move itself" a little brown haired boy told him.

Izaya laughed "All right" he said and then stood up to make his way over to Zack.

Zack brightened up immediately when Izaya came to sit with him "Hi big brother!" he shouted with glee.

Izaya waved at him and then crouched down and sat beside him, one leg stretched out. "Sat by yourself again?" Izaya asked, keeping his tone light so as not to let on that he was slightly annoyed. "I thought you were going to try playing with the others?"

Zack hunched his shoulders, aware that he was being scolded. "Sorry. I tried to! I really did!" Zack sighed sadly "No one wants to play, not even Kei"

Izaya felt bad for him "Who's Kei?" he asked, maybe he could interfere on the boy's behalf?

"Kei was my best friend. He's not anymore"

Izaya glanced over at the kids in the room, wondering which one was Kei "Why not? Did you have a falling out?"

Zack shrugged "Dunno. I guess"

_I know the feeling _Izaya thought as he made a quick glance at Shizuo who was across the room, surrounded by bricks. "Point him out. Maybe I could talk to him?"

Zack looked up with surprise "Really?"

Izaya nodded "Why not. Couldn't hurt to try right?"

Zack smiled and he then pointed over to where a few kids were drawing. "That's Kei. He's the one with blond hair"

_How ironic _Izaya thought and then stood up "I'll be right back" he made it look casual, and then crouched down beside whom he knew now to be Kei. "Need any help?"

Kei turned his attention to Izaya and then back to his drawing. "Nah uh"

Izaya looked at the boy's drawing, the picture was a typical kid drawing, stickman in the centre of the page to pass off as people. There was two of them, and the only difference that told them apart was the scribble of colour on top of their heads. One blond, one black. The stickman were small, indicating that they might be kids. Izaya pointed at the yellow haired one. "Is that you?" Kei nodded as he continued to scribble green at the bottom of the page, grass, Izaya assumed. "Who's that with you?"

Kei stopped colouring for a moment and Izaya noticed a sad expression on his face was beginning to form, he continued to colour before replying "Best friend"

Izaya bit his lip and looked over to where Zack was sat, he then turned his attention back to the picture. "What's his name?" as if he had to ask.

"Zack"

Obviously. "Did you fall out?" maybe Kei was more open to telling him what happened

Kei shook his head "No"

Or not. "Then how come you won't talk to him?"

Kei looked at him, confusion cast on his face "I can't"

Izaya smiled "Sure you can. He's your best friend isn't he?"

Before the boy could reply Marie blew her whistle and the children all stopped what they were doing. "Ok children, it's time for a lesson. So let's pack up all the toys and put them back in their rightful places. Those who have made drawings, you can put them in the tray that's on top of the desk, we can hang them up later.

"Kei, can I have this?" Izaya gestured to the drawing "I'll return it, I promise" Kei nodded and smiled as he handed the picture to Izaya and then proceeded to go and help others pack toys away. Izaya looked down at the picture as he stood up. He glanced over at Zack and was surprised to find him gone, Izaya sighed. _Now where did he go? _Folding the piece of paper to a small square, Izaya stuck it in the back of his pants pocket. Before he could leave the room to go and search for him, Shizuo approached. Izaya frowned slightly but tried not to show his hostility toward the blond. "What?"

Shizuo ignored the blunt greeting and said "They want us to help in the cafeteria today while the kids are in their lesson"

"Both of us?"

Shizuo raised an eyebrow "Well yeah. why, something more important that you have to do then common work?"

Izaya's frown deepened "What's that supposed to mean?"

Shizuo sighed "I don't know. I could tell you were trying to avoid it, and I'm also pissed at you, so I didn't mean anything by it I guess"

Izaya snorted "_You're _pissed at _me_? Isn't that something"

Shizuo clenched a fist unseen "Why are you being like this?"

Izaya grinned "Does it bother you?"

Shizuo gritted his teeth and hissed out a "Yes"

"Then there's your answer" and with that, he walked away to go in search of Zack, Shizuo could handle the "Common" work as he so gracefully put it.

Laira approached Shizuo after he left the play area and the kids had headed off to their lesson. "Ready to do some cooking?" she asked with a smile

Shizuo scratched the back of his head "Not really much of a cook"

Laira laughed "You don't have to be. it's not all that hard. The food sent here is mostly pre-packaged, so all we have to do is heat them up. The only thing we make is the vegetables, which we grow in the green house.

Shizuo blinked in surprise as they made their way toward the cafeteria. "The food is sent here?"

"Well, mostly donated by the wholesale company that delivers food to the palmyra restaurant"

Huh. "Your food is donated?"

Laira nodded as they headed into the kitchen area, she held open the door for him and he nodded a thanks. "It is. They've been more then generous"

"So what happens when they can't donate. That happens right?"

Laira smiled and reached for two aprons, passing a blue one to Shizuo before placing her own on. "Sometimes. And when it does, we use the donation money made when plays are performed for the public on special occasions"

Shizuo didn't realise how much work went into this place. He was awed every time. "I kind of admire what you guys do. It really is quite commendable"

"Thank you. we do our best, and the children are never without" she then motioned for him to stand by the prepping table. "Let's get started shall we?" she then blinked "Oh. Where is Mr Orihara?"

Oh. He'd forgotten about that. _the hell should I cover his ass for? _He thought angrily, even though he knew he was going to anyway. "He'll be along soon. Think he just went to make sure all the kids were settled, encase one decided to stray or something"

Laira chuckled "Well, the children do get over excited and distracted sometimes"

Shizuo smiled, good, at least his lie wasn't a complete lie, and it seemed believable too.

….

Izaya sighed when he finally found Zack; of course he was stood beside the 'Kanata temple' "Zack. You're suppose to be in your lesson. You're going to get me in trouble you know"

Zack turned to him with a smile "Let's play!"

Izaya stepped over the broken wall, shaking his head "No. it's not playtime, we need to get you back to class"

Zack pouted "Don't wanna"

Izaya couldn't help but chuckle "Well, we often have to do things we don't want to do. I don't want to go to school sometimes either; at least you only have one lesson a day" he smiled as he reached the boy's side. "I spoke to Kei for you, didn't I?"

Zack looked down at the ground still covered in snow, shuffling his foot. "He's mad at me isn't he?"

Izaya crouched down "I don't know about being mad. He told me that you didn't fall out. So can you think of a reason why he would say that he can't talk to you?"

Zack looked at him in confusion "Huh?"

"I asked him why he won't talk to you, and he said that he can't, so why not?"

"I don't know! it's not my fault! I keep trying to talk to him, but he just ignores me"

Izaya smiled and poked him lightly in the chest "Are you telling me little fibs? maybe you really did have a fight hm?"

Zack shook his head "We didn't! I didn't do anything wrong!" Izaya blinked at the boy's sudden anguish and he felt bad.

"Ok. I'm sorry" Zack wrapped his arms around Izaya's neck, sobbing. "It's ok. Shhh" Izaya suddenly felt lightheaded again, maybe he was getting the flu? He pushed Zack off to smile at him. "I'm sure you two will work it out. I think he misses you being his best friend" Izaya took out the drawing from his pocket and unfolded it. "He drew this for you"

Zack looked at the picture "That's me!" he said enthusiastically

Izaya's smiled widened a little "See? He's still your best friend. You just need to let him know that"

Zack nodded "What if he still ignores me?"

"Why don't I talk to him first, it might help"

"Ok!"

"Now will you let me take you back to class? Before we both get in trouble"

Zack giggled "K"

Izaya smiled and then stood up, heat spread throughout his body and he suddenly felt dizzy. Placing a hand over his head, he tried to steady himself, damn….he was not going to faint in front of the kid. Zack looked up at him, showing his concern. Izaya glanced down, and after deeming it was safe to move without feeling like he was going to pass out, he smiled. "Let's go"

"Big brother, do you not feel good?"

Izaya chuckled and shook his head "I'm fine. I got head rush" Zack blinked in confusion "It's a little dizzy feeling. It happens when you stand up too fast"

"Oh" Zack seemed to accept the answer no problem, and why wouldn't he? He was a kid after all. Zack made his way into the area of trees and Izaya followed closely behind.

_You got head rush in the infirmary too _a voice in his head told him, Izaya frowned a little. Maybe he was coming down with something? it was that time of year when most people caught the flu. He shrugged it off, he'd take the necessary ailments once he was home.

….

Izaya approached the building only to realise that the children were outside playing. Huh. He turned to see Shizuo stalking up to him, looking angrier than before. his voice had an angry bite to it, but was low so as not to startle anyone "Where the hell have you been?" Izaya huffed, he wasn't in the mood to argue, he felt like shit.

Izaya tilted his head "If you must know, I was trying to help Zack"

Shizuo raised an eyebrow "Again? You should really tell the carers that he's running off all the time. I had to cover for you"

Izaya frowned "Well I didn't ask you to. Besides, it's not like I've been slacking off, I really was helping" Izaya turned to the boy beside him "Zack, why don't you-" only to realise the boy had run off again. Izaya scowled back to Shizuo "Well congratulations. Your inability to keep your temper in check has scared him off. How does that feel, knowing you've frightened a child"

Shizuo gritted his teeth, so tempted to knock Izaya on his ass right there. "Is this how it is now? You're all bent out of shape because of that kiss, so you're just being an asshole?"

Izaya snarled at him, about to make a snarky reply but coughed instead. "Damn it…"

Shizuo raised an eyebrow, his anger dulling for a moment in favour of concern. "Are you sick?"

Another cough took Izaya by surprise and he batted Shizuo's hand away from his arm. Once he'd gotten his control back, he glared up at the blond. "I'm fine. Now if you don't mind I-" Izaya was cut off by Shizuo's hand on his forehead, completely ignoring his statement. "Take your hand away before I cut it off"

Shizuo clicked his tongue "Yeah right. we both know you're not that stupid as to carry your knife around here" but he did remove his hand. "You have a fever by the way"

Izaya rolled his eyes "I don't have a fever. Give me a break"

Shizuo sighed and turned away "Whatever. I don't care anyway"

Izaya scowled as he watched the blond walk away toward some kids. "Fever. Ha" he then scanned the playground; the kids were dressed warmly as they played in the snow. _So much for too cold outside to play _he supposed they couldn't keep the kids inside for too long, especially with all the excitement of the snow still outside to play with. The necessary precautions had been taken to ensure they wouldn't catch a cold or anything, they appeared to be well dressed for the occasion. Izaya looked at his own attire, unlike himself. He had on his usual black jacket with a red sleeved top underneath, accompanied by black pants. Izaya didn't pay much attention to it, he was always one to forget to take care of himself sometimes, especially when other things were on his mind. Glancing at his watch, it wouldn't be long until the children were called in to eat the meals that Izaya had been supposed to help with.

The raven then spotted Kei, who was sat on the swing, though not swinging. Shrugging, since he didn't know where Zack had gone, he decided to talk to Kei, he'd said he would anyway. Izaya made his way over and felt a sense of déjà vu as he sat on the swing next to the blond boy. "You're suppose to swing on these you know" ah, that was probably not a good thing to say to a child, he shook his head, still in 'teasing Shizu-chan' mode. "So tell me about you and Zack, why can't you talk to him? You were going to tell me earlier," Izaya sighed dramatically in order to be on the boy's level "Until boring lesson had to start" Kei giggled at that, and Izaya smiled at having cheered him up a little.

"S'not so bad"

Izaya swung his swing a little "Wanna tell me now?"

Kei lowered his head "Can't talk to him anymore cause he went away somewhere"

Izaya's mouth opened in surprise "What do you mean?"

Kei shrugged "Miss Marie said that Zack went away to be with a new family"

That was extremely odd. "Kei- Zack didn't…." Izaya glanced up when the whistle blew, all the children, including Kei ran toward the building. Izaya sat there, utterly dumbfounded, his eyes moved over to a snowman and finally spotted Zack who was stood staring at it. Izaya sighed and stood up, maybe Kei was angry with Zack for leaving him at one point, and now he was back and the two weren't friends anymore? But that didn't account for the other kids to shun him out.

Making his way over to the boy, he was interrupted by Shizuo- again. "Are you coming inside?"

"Are you completely ignoring my attempts to avoid you, or are you just extremely bad at hints?"

Shizuo clenched his fists, knowing that they were alone now, he grabbed hold of Izaya's shirt. "God damn it Izaya, wake the fuck up will you!?" Izaya's eyes widened at the emotion displaying in Shizuo's eyes. "Is it that hard to believe that I might actually give a damn about you? I know you're going through some shit with Shinra, but that doesn't mean you have to hide from everyone else. I'm just as confused about the kiss as you are, but I'm not acting like the asshole right now!"

"Don't act like you know me!"

"I don't know you as well as Shinra or Kadota; but I do know that right now, you're scared, scared of getting close to someone"

Izaya shoved him back "That's a pathetic assumption"

"Is it? then why the hell did you run away yesterday?"

Izaya tensed, because he didn't want to clarify what he felt for the blond was more than friendship, but then it came blurting out before he could reconsider "I'm not afraid of getting close to someone! Shizu-chan, I'm afraid of getting close to _you_" Izaya's breath hitched and he stepped back.

Shizuo frowned and then turned away from him "Or maybe you were repulsed by the fact that you had kissed a monster"

Izaya clenched his fists "No. that's not it"

"Then what is it?"

"I-" Izaya refused to look at him, Shizuo stepped in front of him and lay his hand on his shoulder.

"Izaya, tell me"

The raven bit his lip "You, Dota-chin and Shinra are the first friends I've had. I've grown accustomed to it"

"So, what; are you worried about losing our friendship or something?"

Izaya shook his head "Not really" he huffed a laugh "Let's face it, we could hardly call what we have a solid friendship"

Shizuo gave a snort of derision "You're right about that"

"There's a reason for that. I didn't know what that reason was until yesterday. There was always something different about you, something that set our "friendship" apart from the other two. It got stronger the more time we spent together, and every time it did, I pushed you away by teasing you and pissing you off for no reason"

Shizuo blinked in surprise "Izaya…are you-"

Izaya glared at him, switching his emotions instantly "It meant nothing!"

Shizuo was so confused, he couldn't tell if Izaya was joking or being genuine. _He really doesn't know what to do _"It meant _something _otherwise you wouldn't have said all that just now"

Izaya laughed dryly "Well you seem to think I have a fever, so perhaps that's all it is" he tried to walk away but Shizuo grabbed his wrist, his eyes looked toward Zack, who was watching them the whole time in curiosity. Feeling slightly awkward now, Izaya pulled at the hold. "Forget about it. just go inside Shizu-chan, leave me alone"

Shizuo frowned and then sighed as he let go of Izaya's wrist. "Fine. But it gets lonely when you hide away from others. Trust me, I know"

Izaya's eyes followed Shizuo as the blond headed back to the building. giving a sigh of his own, the raven then made his way across the snow toward Zack and the snowman. "Did you make that yourself?" he asked with a smile, crouching down to the boy's level.

Zack shook his head "No, mine would be better"

Izaya laughed "Is that so?"

"Yep"

Izaya's expression turned serious for a moment "I spoke to Kei. He's really upset"

Zack looked at him "Like how your friend is with you?"

A tug pulled at the corner of Izaya's lip for a second "Saw all that huh?" Zack nodded "Just a disagreement. We argue a lot. I don't know if we're really friends. But this is about you and Kei" Izaya paused for a moment, unsure how to proceed with his question, it might bring back bad memories. "Zack, did you go away for a little while? Perhaps, maybe to live with a family?"

Zack stared at him in confusion "No"

Izaya smiled sympathetically "Its ok. you can tell me"

"I didn't"

"Did you run away then?" Zack shook his head "Kei said that you went away somewhere, to live with another family. Maybe that's why he's upset with you, he feels that you left him behind"

A frown crossed Zack's face "When I get a new family. Kei is coming with me; I won't leave him behind!" the boy then ran off toward the building.

"Zack!" Izaya moved to stand up and was soon overcome by another coughing fit. Izaya breathed deeply and rubbed his sore throat. When the cough finally subsided, he straightened and made his way into the building. _I'm going to get to the bottom of this, something happened to Zack and Kei that the carers have yet to mention _

…

Izaya waited until the end of their scheduled staying time, following Shizuo outside, being accompanied by Marie. Good. It was her that he wanted to talk to. He glanced at the blond, making sure he was far enough away before turning to her. "I've got a question to ask"

Marie tilted her head, surprised by the sudden seriousness. "Go ahead"

"It's about Zack"

Marie's expression changed to one of sadness "Has Kei mentioned him to you?" Izaya raised an eyebrow, couldn't figure out how to reply to that, was that a direct question? When he didn't respond, Marie continued. "He's a brave boy. but I know he misses him"

Izaya frowned in confusion "Then why haven't you tried to help? they're best friends aren't they? Surely you can get them talking again"

Marie sighed, laying a hand on his shoulder. "What has Kei actually said to you?"

_Kei? What about Zack, are they siding with one child? _Nevertheless, Izaya decided to indulge her. "Just that he can't talk to him. That he went away to be with a new family"

Marie nodded and turned slightly, bowing her head a little. "That's- that's what we told him"

Izaya wasn't sure what she meant by that, but he was beginning to get a very bad feeling. "What do you mean?"

Marie looked at him, tears in her eyes "Zack- passed away two months ago"

Izaya's eyes widened _no, it can't be, but he- _"H-how…" his voice was barely a whisper, he was in shock.

"It was an accident. He and Kei were quite the adventurers. Always heading off into the forest. They found an old part of the church, I told them not to play there because it was unstable"

_The steeple…. _Izaya felt his heart speed up the more she was talking _His secret spot…._

"One evening. We noticed that Zack was absent when putting the children to sleep. Laira and I went out searching for him- I knew where to look… we found him, the steeple must have collapsed….we- we pulled him out from the wreckage….he wasn't breathing"

Izaya didn't know if he could hear anymore-

_That's why he thinks everyone is ignoring him_

_They can't see him_

Izaya swallowed back a choked sob

_and he doesn't know, he doesn't know why, he doesn't remember what happened…. He's-_

"We called an ambulance, but it was already too late…."

_He's dead….and he doesn't know _

"We told Kei and the other children that he went to live with a new family. We didn't want to upset them. Please, can you keep this to yourself? Don't tell them the truth"

Izaya could only nod slowly, left speechless. He turned away from the woman and stumbled over the snow before he broke into a full run.

Shizuo watched him suddenly run past him "Izaya! What…" but he was too fast "….Happened"

Izaya ran as far as he could go, the sting of the cold on his face as the wind whipped past him. He stopped suddenly and ducked into a crevice at the corner of the street. He collapsed to his knees with a single punch to the wall, tears fell from his face. He sat on the floor, pulling his knees up to his chest and buried his face. He couldn't contain the sobs that shook his body; all the time he spent talking to Zack, why hadn't he picked up on it? What was he supposed to do now?

How do you tell a six year old that they were no longer alive, and that the reason everyone was ignoring them, was because they couldn't be seen.

Izaya lay his head back against the wall, it had begun snowing again. He looked up at the sky through tearful eyes, his heart clenched painfully, deep sorrow filled his entire being. "I'm sorry….."


	16. Orphanage part 3

Day 3

Izaya clenched his fists as he stared up at the orphanage, he didn't know what to do now, he had been interacting with Zack this whole time under the impression that the boy was merely an odd lonely child. Now that he had discovered the horrible truth, it would change everything. Izaya knew that he was supposed to try and explain to the boy what was happening to him, and yet, he didn't think he could bring himself to do it. No one had noticed any difference since he'd arrived, no one had brought up the likely question 'who are you talking to?' Izaya frowned, Marie had asked him to keep it to himself, so that might work in his favour anyway. _I'll just act as I did before I found out about him _at the back of his mind he knew that was wrong; all the times he'd spent exorcising spirits and ghosts…. _This is different, because they all knew _

"Is it locked or something?" the deep voice of Shizuo slightly startled him, he turned around and his eyes narrowed a little as the blond stopped beside him.

"No. I was just thinking about something"

"Does it have something to do with what happened yesterday?" Shizuo looked at the raven beside him, he looked exhausted. "Why did you run off like that, what did she say to you?"

Izaya opened his mouth to say something, he wanted to tell Shizuo, but he couldn't. closing his mouth, Izaya stepped forward and opened the door. "It doesn't matter. It was nothing important"

Shizuo sighed with a frown and followed him inside "Nothing my ass" he muttered.

…

"I've tried to talk to them. But they don't listen, why do they hate me big brother?" Izaya and Zack were sat on the swings, the boy looked so incredibly sad and with every word spoken it caused a painful reaction to Izaya's heart. In a way, he wished he'd never asked, that he could remain ignorant to the facts. "What's wrong?"

Izaya realised he hadn't replied, he then smiled and said, "I'm sure that's not it" he thought about ignoring the boy, but he didn't want to cause him anymore sadness. _I can't ignore him, I'm all he has right now, I'm the only one that can see him _

The third carer, Kayla, made her way over to him and he looked at her nervously. To her, he was merely sitting by himself and furthermore, talking to himself too. She smiled at him and knelt down in front of him, as though she were about to start talking to one of the children. Izaya resented the implication, but he didn't exactly have a plausible defensive argument right now. "Are you all right?"

Izaya glanced over to Shizuo, maybe he could grab his attention enough to cause a distraction. No such luck there, since the blond was too busy having a snowball fight. _Sometimes I wish he could see what I see, lucky brute _

"Young man?" Izaya turned his attention back to the woman in front of him. "You can go and sit inside for a little while if you're feeling unwell"

Izaya shook his head and smiled "No, that's all right. I'm fine, I just came to sit down for a bit"

Kayla giggled "It's all right. I talk to myself sometimes too" she then winked at him; Zack then stood up from the swing and made it a point to literally stand in front of her.

"He's not talking to himself! He's talking to me, he's my best friend now!" Zack smiled brightly at her, though he noticed that she appeared to not be looking directly at him. Izaya flinched, if he didn't say anything soon, Zack might realise something else was seriously wrong.

"I- I'm glad I'm not the only one then" Izaya said, his hands tightened around the chain's of the swing when Zack spun around with a surprised expression on his face. The raven ignored the sad look in the boy's eyes as Zack realised what he was doing.

"Some of the children want you to make snow angels with them, is that ok?"

Izaya nodded and stood up "Sure. No problem" he watched Kayla walk away and then sighed, he refused to look at Zack, knowing the boy was staring at him with a heartbroken look on his face.

"You're going to ignore me too now, aren't you?"

Izaya swallowed the lump in his throat "No…I'll- I'll come back to you later"

"But you promised!" Izaya winced, and with a heavy heart, he walked away from the boy. "Big brother! Please don't ignore me!"

He had been wrong; he was foolish to think that he could just carry on as though nothing happened. Eventually, they were going to start noticing, he'd nearly been discovered already. _I can't bring myself to tell him, so I should just ignore him _Izaya knew he was being selfish, he was deliberately going to ignore the boy just to protect his 'sanity'.

Izaya chuckled as his hand was grabbed by a small girl as she 'showed him what to do' automatically thinking that he didn't know how to make a snow angel. "Oh I see. I think I get it now" it was always best to humour them; they were just small kids. They often became excited when it seemed they knew something an older person didn't. feigning ignorance was easy to do when interacting with kids. He got down in the snow and lay flat on his back, he then proceeded to move his arms and legs in a consistent rotation. Sitting up slowly, he moved away from the pattern without disturbing it. "There. what do you think?"

The kids clapped, the girl giggled and said, "I always draw a halo on mine"

Izaya leaned forward "Like this?" with his finger, he then drew an oval shape above where his head had been imprinted. He sat back on his heels. "There"

There was a snort from behind him, Izaya looked up to see Shizuo standing over him. "I think you missed out your horns and pitchfork"

Izaya pouted and clicked his tongue, he then stood up, brushing the snow off his pant legs. "It's you who's deserving of those items. I happen to be a saint"

Shizuo then laughed "Oh yeah how could I forget"

Izaya rolled his eyes, he then caught sight of Zack still sat on the swing. The boy had his arms wrapped around his knees; face buried between them. Izaya felt his heart drop, he felt incredibly guilty for what he'd done. _It's not his fault _

Shizuo followed Izaya's line of sight, he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, he turned back to Izaya with a frown. "What are you looking at?" he then grinned with amusement "Do you want me to push you on the swing?"

Izaya glared at him and shoved him backwards "Idiot"

…

Izaya was helping the other children in their lesson while Shizuo was helping to prepare their lunches. He was actually grateful, because the blond was already suspicious of him enough, and now that he had decided to continue interacting with Zack, Shizuo couldn't know. Izaya waited for the perfect opportunity to present itself, he was in the middle of helping Kei with his three letter word spellings. Glancing up every now and then to keep an eye on Marie. It helped to know that she was the only one in the lesson room this time. A kid put their hand up and Marie's attention was brought to a brown haired kid, she made her way over and sat beside him. _Perfect _he told Kei "Good job" and then stood up, he turned his head to spot Zack by the far wall.

Izaya sat down beside him with a smile "I'm sorry for upsetting you" Zack shrugged "I didn't mean to ignore you" another shrug. "Don't be mad. I want to be your friend"

"Why. No one else does"

"Well I do. But you have to forgive me first"

Zack lowered his head "Why did you tell Miss Kayla that you were talking to yourself?"

Izaya chew his lip, he didn't know how to answer that question, he didn't want to tell Zack what he knew. "I thought we were playing a game. One where you're invisible"

Zack looked up at him "What if I am?"

_Well that certainly backfired _"What do you mean?"

"What if I turned invisible, and that's why no one can see me"

Izaya knew that Zack was a pretty smart kid, but the thought of having to explain something so heart-breaking….. "I don't think that can really happen"

"It might"

Izaya shook his head with a chuckle "Anyway. Do you forgive me? I promise I won't ever ignore you again. We can play whatever you want at playtime"

Zack smiled brightly "Ok! I forgive you!"

….

Day 4

Izaya lay a shaking hand over the broken wall as he leant beside it, he felt awful and he didn't know why, he'd taken medication last night and before he left his house this morning. He felt fine when he woke up, and now, he was even worse than before. "Zack….Let's go back now…" his breathing was a little laboured as he spoke, there was black spots in his vision, and he tried several times to blink them away.

"Aww. Not yet, just a little bit more?" Zack held up a large stick to Izaya "This is your sword; you must defeat the bad creature that is attacking Kanata temple!"

_If there really was a creature to defeat, he'd knock me straight out right now _Izaya gave a weak smile. "Can't…I'm all out of power" he knew it wasn't a good idea to keep playing along, he was sure he was going to pass out. _ I should have stayed home… _but it wasn't as if he could really tell Zack what was wrong, even if he did, it wasn't as though the boy could call for help.

Zack feigned a shocked gasp and held his hands out, a concentrated look on his face. "There! I have given you more power to beat the creature"

_I wish that really worked _"Please Zack…, let's go back…"

Zack pulled a sad face "But the bell hasn't rang yet"

_Screw the bell _Izaya held his hand out "Come on….we'll come back later"

Zack sighed "And defeat the creature?"

Izaya smiled "Promise…"

Zack took his hand and Izaya lead him through the snow toward the stream. His vision begun to blur, and he grew incredibly hot all of a sudden, he placed a hand over his head and stopped. Zack looked back at him. "Big brother? What's wrong?"

Izaya heard him speak, he sounded so far away, he felt himself sway _shit….Shizu-chan….help me… _ Izaya's eyes rolled back and he collapsed backwards in the snow.

Zack slid next to him "Big brother! Big brother! Get up!" Zack's eyes watered "Please get up!" panicking, he looked around, there was no one in sight. "Somebody help!"

…

Shizuo was starting to worry, Izaya had spent most of yesterday and today off on his own, he had no idea what he was doing. Every time he asked, Izaya just claimed that he was playing 'hide and seek' with Zack. Shizuo didn't understand, he was quite sure that he'd never seen this boy before, Izaya spoke about him often and yet he'd never actually seen him with the boy. It wasn't only that concept that was worrying; almost every time Izaya interacted with Zack, he was becoming sicker it seemed. Of course the raven denied it when Shizuo brought it up, but Izaya was unsteady on his feet, he was pale and there was a slight flush to his cheeks. If they weren't sure signs of sickness then he didn't know what were. Shizuo had watched with a frown as Izaya disappeared into the forest, that wasn't the first time he'd seen him go in there either.

"This is ridiculous" If Izaya wasn't going to tell him what was really going on, then he had no choice. "I should just talk to one of the carers" and with that he strolled over to Layla, since she was the closest to him.

Layla turned to him with a smile, her attention swaying slightly from watching the children. "Hello, is something wrong?"

Shizuo shook his head "Eh, no- I mean, maybe. I just thought you might want to know; I think one of the kid's might be sick"

Layla's expression became one of worry "Oh no. who?"

Shizuo scratched the back of his head, he had known what he wanted to say, but now he wasn't sure. "My classmate has been talking to and playing with a certain boy since we got here. so I'm pretty sure it's him that's sick, because I think Izaya has got it"

Layla nodded "I understand, thank you for letting us know. where are they now?" Shizuo hesitated, he didn't want to get Izaya or Zack into trouble, he'd be willing to bet that the children were probably not supposed to go into the forest.

"I saw them a minute ago…"

"Which boy is he with? I should bring him in and take him to the infirmary, he shouldn't be out in this cold"

Shizuo nodded, suddenly feeling bad for not mentioning it sooner "Sorry for not saying anything right away, I wasn't quite sure myself until I noticed Izaya's condition was worsening"

"You should tell your friend to go home and rest"

Shizuo gave her a false smile and nodded _like he'd listen to me _

"Who did you say the boy was?"

Shizuo laughed nervously "Oh right. sorry. It's Zack"

Shizuo had never seen someone become so pale all of a sudden, her eyes were wide, and he felt like he'd said something really wrong. "Did-did you say Zack?"

She had him doubting what came out of his mouth, did he? "That's what Izaya told me his name was. I'm sure it was Zack"

Layla shook her head "No. that's not possible, it couldn't be Zack"

Shizuo was really confused now "What do you mean, why not?"

Layla sighed her expression becoming sad "Because Zack passed away two months ago. It was an accident involving a collapsing building"

Shizuo's eyes widened "What?"

"It's true I'm afraid. He and Kei were best friends, so when Zack died we told him that his friend went to live with another family"

_All this time, Izaya's been talking to a ghost? What the hell! _"Can I ask where the accident happened?" he asked, though he had a good hunch already

Layla pointed toward the forest "Just beyond that set of trees, there's a stream, if you cross that you'll find the old church steeple"

Shizuo gritted his teeth, he was right _That's why Zack keeps taking him there _Shizuo turned to her with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. Maybe I got the name wrong" Layla didn't look like she believed him, but that didn't matter right now. Shizuo was going to have serious words with Izaya, angry for keeping this from him. "I better go check on him-them…." And then he dashed off, feeling incredibly idiotic about how he handled that situation. _Damn it, why the hell didn't he tell me?_ His first plan was to find Izaya, and after he was sure the raven was safe, Shizuo was going to give him a piece of his mind. _What am I thinking? Safe, of course he's safe, it's only a child. _Shizuo ran through the zig zag of trees, remembering the directions Layla told him. "There's the stream" he then jumped the small gap with ease and ran across the snow.

Shizuo froze, Izaya was there, laying in the bed of snow. "Izaya!" Shizuo ran to him, skidding to his knees.

Zack startled and clenched his tiny fists "He just fell down!"

Shizuo shook the raven "Can you hear me?" he lay the back of his hand on Izaya's forehead "Damn it. hang on!" Shizuo reached under Izaya's legs and lay his arm under his back, lifting him from the snow.

Zack watched with concern, realising that Shizuo too was ignoring him. He didn't understand, what had he done? Why was Izaya the only one that spoke to him?

Izaya opened his eyes, he stared up at the one carrying him, blinking blearily. "Shizu…chan…"

Shizuo looked down at him with a frown "Yeah. I've got you"

Izaya buried himself against the blond's chest, he was absolutely freezing! His teeth chattered as he spoke "S-so…c-cold…"

Shizuo gritted his teeth as he trudged through the snow "You should have told me sooner! What were you thinking!?"

Zack frowned as he followed them "It's not his fault! I tried to call for help, I really did!"

Izaya coughed into his chest and let out a small groan, clutching Shizuo's sweatshirt. "It's cold….. 'n hot….don't feel good"

Shizuo tightened his hold as he ran through the forest and appeared out the other side. "Help me!" he called out.

The kid's in the playground stilled all movements. A girl by the snow covered slide then shouted "Miss Marie!"

Marie gasped when she saw Shizuo, she ran over to him, along with the other two carers. "What happened!?"

Shizuo's heart was racing, worried for the raven in his arms, he could feel his skin burning through their clothing, and yet Izaya was shaking like a leaf. "I found him collapsed! He's sick, help him!"

Kayla ushered them toward the school "Get him inside, I'm right behind you"

Marie and Layla watch them with concern as they made their way into the building.

…..

Shizuo sat on a chair next to one of the bed's in the infirmary section. Kayla rinsed the cloth out into the bowl and wiped Izaya's forehead. "His fever is down a bit, that's a good sign. How long has he been sick?"

Shizuo frowned _too long _"A few days I think"

"He should really be at home resting. I don't want what I'm about to say to come across aloof, but he could be contagious"

Shizuo clenched his fists in his lap, that wasn't an invalid hypothesis, they had every right to be concerned for the children's safety. But he was willing to bet, that the reason Izaya was sick, wasn't because of the flu. Shizuo had a hunch, that the raven's sickness was due to his constant interactions with Zack. The only thing wrong with that hunch, was that no one here would possibly believe him. Shizuo blinked and was struck with an idea. "I should make a phone call. I'll be right back"

Kayla nodded and dipped the cloth in the bowl once more, rinsing it and placing it over Izaya's forehead. "Are you going to inform his parents?"

Shizuo stopped in the doorway. He probably should do that too, but they would only worry, and he was sure that his hunch was correct. Besides, Shizuo knew that Izaya most likely wouldn't want them here, he wouldn't want them worrying either. "I'll do that later" he said and then left the room. Calling Kadota and Shinra was more important, the seriousness of the situation had grown due to a ghost, so they were Izaya's best hope.

….

Izaya opened his eyes slowly to see Zack's smiling face. "Yay! You're awake!" Zack leaned over the bed and climbed up to sit on it. "Do you feel better?" Izaya opened his mouth to say something and then a sigh of relief caught his attention. "More of your friends are here" Zack told him.

"Izaya! Thank god you're awake, we were worried"

Izaya felt like he was dreaming, because the person sitting next to him couldn't be real. "Shinra?"

Shinra smiled at him, standing up and taking his hand. "Hey. Welcome back. How do you feel?"

Izaya didn't know how he felt, physically or mentally for that matter, was Shinra really here talking to him? It seemed so unlikely; he'd made it perfectly clear that he wasn't ever going to speak to him again. "Why are you here?"

Shinra huffed a laugh "Because you had us all worried. And- and I understand that you won't ever return my feelings for you…. I know that now, I'll come to live with it, I realised that our friendship means more to me"

Izaya was quite sure he was dreaming now, but he still felt sick and weren't you supposed to be healthy in dreams? Like when you wake up before you hit the ground after falling? Izaya could feel a set of eyes on them, turning his head, he saw Shizuo watching them. There was a slight jealous tint in his eyes, Izaya frowned, unsure why and then he realised that Shinra was holding his hand. _He's jealous of Shinra now? we kissed once, and he starts acting possessive? _Izaya turned his attention back to Shinra, subtly removing his hand from the other's hold. "So no transfer?"

Shinra pushed his glasses up and chuckled "No. besides, look at yourself, what would you do without me?"

Izaya chuckled and then coughed slightly before sitting up in the bed.

Kadota cleared his throat and hated to ruin the moment, but there was something that needed to be addressed. "We know about Zack"

Izaya head snapped over to the boy sitting on his bed, almost forgetting he was still there. a slight surprised expression appeared on Zack's face, Izaya smiled at him. "Hey. Why don't you go play for a little while"

Zack shook his head "I wanna stay with you…."

"I'm all right. I have my friends looking after me, so go on, before they come looking for you" Zack looked down sadly "I'll come find you later ok?"

"K" the boy got down from the bed and made his way out of the room.

Izaya noticed that all eyes were on him, they'd clearly watched him just have a conversation with- at least to them- absolutely no one. He sighed and took a deep breath before speaking. "So you know about Zack"

Shizuo frowned "Why the hell didn't you tell me!?"

Izaya could hear the concern in Shizuo's tone, so he didn't have it in him to argue back. "I didn't know at first"

His three friends shifted closer to him, taking chairs from the sides of the room to sit on. Kadota spoke next. "How did you find out?"

Shizuo then replied before Izaya could "How about, _when_?"

Izaya looked over at him, there wasn't much point in hiding anything now. "At the end of our second day"

"Is that why you ran off? Seriously?"

Izaya frowned, clenching his fists "I was in shock! How was I supposed to know that one of the kids is a fucking ghost!"

Shinra lay his hand on Izaya's shoulder "Hey calm down. It's ok. just tell us what happened"

Izaya sighed "When I spoke to him, he was like a normal kid. He was lonely though, I guess he kind of reminded me of myself. He said that he didn't have anyone to play with, and that the other kids always ignored him. I felt sorry for him, so I took it upon myself to give him the most of my attention"

Kadota then replied, "Didn't it seem weird that everyone ignored him?"

Izaya couldn't help but roll his eyes "This is an orphanage Dota-chin, it seemed likely that not all the kids got along and there are only three carers here, they aren't always able to give one child full attention"

"Hmm. I guess you have a point"

"I learned from Zack that this blond kid, Kei. They were best friends. Zack told me about him, and I tried to get Kei to talk, to see if maybe they had a falling out. That's when I thought something might be wrong, apparently Zack had moved away-at least that's what the carers told them all. I found out the truth from Miss Marie"

Shizuo stood up, slapping his palm on the bed "What I can't understand, is why the hell you still continued to play and talk with him!"

Izaya gritted his teeth, he understood why Shizuo was angry, he knew the blond was worried, but the fact was that Shizuo didn't fully understand the situation. "He doesn't know!" silence fell between them for a moment.

Shizuo blinked in surprise "What?"

Izaya bit his lip, looking away, casting his eyes to his fists. "He doesn't know. he really just thinks everyone is ignoring him. He doesn't remember…."

Shinra gasped "That's awful!"

Kadota felt bad now, he should have known that Izaya might have had a good reason. "This changes things I guess"

Izaya nodded "I didn't want to tell him. I didn't know how to….at first I was going to ignore him, but I couldn't do that, he'd had enough of that. so I just- acted like nothing was wrong"

Shizuo's heart sank. So not only did Izaya not know the boy's predicament at first, it seemed like the kid didn't either. He swiped a hand through his hair, wondering if he should say something about Izaya's sickness, wondering if the raven had come to the same conclusion. "He's the reason your sick Izaya" well, it was too late to take that back now.

Izaya blinked up at him in surprise. It certainly made sense; he had started getting sick when he started spending time with Zack. Izaya thought back to when he first become dizzy, Zack touched his hand, he touched him! Was that even possible? He was aware that the whole 'walk through people' being a ghost was cliché. After all, he'd been dragged by a spirit down a corridor before, and shoved off a balcony, had been knocked out twice. Shaking his head, he needed to think about the present; despite all those misfortunes, the fact remained that they had never caused him to get sick. _Then again, it wasn't as though I gave them much time to interact with me in the first place _"You might be right"

Shizuo had a feeling he was, but he was still surprised to hear it. "So what now?"

Kadota sighed sadly "It's not as if we can just- exorcise him, right?"

Izaya frowned "No. that's not what we're going to do"

Shinra tapped his chin in thought "What about trying to tell him? I know that might sound harsh….but it might help him- move on"

Shizuo shook his head in disbelief, were they seriously just going to tell him? He was a kid! He wasn't going to understand. Shizuo looked at Izaya, surprised to see him actually pondering on that idea. "You're not really going to do that are you?"

Izaya glanced at him "We can't let him keep wandering around thinking he's just being ignored. Shizu-chan, he's a smart kid, if I can get him to remember on his own….it'll help"

Shizuo frowned, knowing where this was going "I don't think so. You're not going anywhere near him again. He's the reason why you're in this condition"

Izaya glared at him, he was getting pissed off now. "He's not doing it on purpose! You don't understand, I tried to ignore him before, and I couldn't do it. he's been through enough. You don't tell me what to do here, I'm doing this my way"

Shizuo gritted his teeth, growling "Well don't expect me to watch as you get sicker!"

"Well I wasn't going to ask you to!" Izaya shouted as Shizuo stormed out of the room. Kadota and Shinra share a glance and then turned to Izaya. The raven huffed and lay back against the pillows. "What?"

Shinra smiled "Nothing. So are you sure this is what you wanna do?"

Izaya nodded "It'll be better if I get him to remember on his own. Once he realises, I can figure out what to do from there. who knows, he might just disappear" It was obvious to them that Zack's predicament had effected Izaya a lot. They could see the sorrow in his eyes and practically feel the sad aura that surrounded him. Izaya blinked when he noticed something drop from his face and create a damp circle on the sheet. He huffed a laugh and wiped his face, realising that it was a tear. "Ah. Sorry. Guess I'm just tired"

Kayla appeared in the room, she smiled when she saw that her patient was awake and talking. "It's good to see that you're awake. How do you feel?" the woman took a thermometer from the side draw and his friends watched with amusement as she stuck it in his mouth. She then took it out and nodded approvingly.

"I feel ok. just tired"

"Your temperature is back to normal, that's good. Now, you should go home and get some rest" Izaya nodded and threw back the cover "It's been wonderful having you both here. thank you very much for your help" Izaya stared at her, and realisation dawned on him, that their week was up, it was Friday. _Shit, has it been a week already? _Kayla was right. it had felt so much shorter than that, it was no wonder how Shinra and Kadota could be here now. he couldn't possibly leave now! he couldn't leave Zack here alone; he couldn't leave him like this.

Before Izaya could make a protesting statement about why he should come back tomorrow, on a Saturday of all days, Marie walked into the room, Shizuo following after. "Mr Heiwajima has informed me that you wish to come back an extra day to help boost your grades" Izaya looked at Shizuo who was trying to avoid his gaze, he smiled. "Is that right?"

_Good thinking Shizu-chan _"If that's all right?"

Marie clapped her hands "Of course it is! The children will be happy to have you an extra day. That is, if you're feeling up to it"

Izaya nodded, swinging his legs over the bed "I'll get plenty of rest. I'll be fine tomorrow"

"All right then. You make sure you do that. I better get back to the playroom now. go on home, it's getting late"

The four friends nod and both carers left the room. Izaya stood up slowly, testing his balance; when he felt confident enough, he pulled on his jacket. "Let's go. We'll come back tomorrow"

"We're coming back with you right?" Shinra asked, Izaya looked at him, he was grateful that they were friends again, but having Shinra and Kadota here all of a sudden might look a bit suspicious.

"While that would be appreciated, I don't think it's a good idea. They don't know what's really going on here, I'd prefer to keep it that way"

Shinra slumped "But-"

Izaya lay a hand on Shinra's shoulder "Trust me" he said with a smile

Shinra sighed "Yeah. ok. but you let me know if something goes wrong" Izaya smirked and drew a cross over his heart.

On their way toward the exit, Izaya spotted Zack standing by the playroom, he gestured for the others to wait for him outside. Izaya knelt down in front of the boy, Zack shuffled his feet as he stared at the floor. "You're leaving now. aren't you?"

Izaya ignored the feeling of sorrow in his heart and smiled "Actually. I'm going to stay an extra day. We never did defeat that creature did we?"

Zack's eyes widened "Really!?" Izaya nodded "Yay! And we can play all day!"

Izaya choked back a sob "Sure. I'll see you tomorrow" Zack's arms reached up for a hug, the raven knew he probably shouldn't, but what did it matter now? by tomorrow, if all went the way they hoped….Zack was going to most likely disappear. Izaya wrapped his arms around the boy, embracing him before letting go. Zack waved him goodbye as Izaya stumbled slightly out of the building.

The others were waiting there like he asked, Shinra tilted his head in concern. "Are you ok?"

Izaya nodded "I'm fine, don't worry"

Shizuo snorted, as if he'd believe that a third time "The last time you said that, I found you passed out in the fucking snow. You should have gotten frost bite with how long you were there"

Izaya rolled his eyes "Well sorry, I guess my plan to get frost bite failed"

Shizuo growled a little "I didn't say you did it on purpose, although you could have _said _something sooner"

Kadota sighed in irritation "Let's just go home. It's freezing"

The four make their way out of the gate, they got into Kadota's van and the brunet drove them all home.

….

Day 5

Izaya and Shizuo felt bad for not allowing Shinra and Kadota to join them, they were a team after all; but this wasn't a job that they had accepted, it was delicate and should be handled with care. Given what had happened yesterday, they couldn't afford to come across as suspicious now, and the children had gotten used to them, there was no point in the kids getting to know two others. They had to plan this carefully, it wouldn't do for Izaya to wander off with Zack to talk to him by himself, the carers would most likely keep an eye on him now, if only out of concern. He'd passed out under their watch, so they probably felt responsible. It would be harder to talk to Zack as it was, since the weather had really turned cold overnight, so the children were not allowed outside today. It put them at a disadvantage, since playtime would have been the best distraction. Izaya wouldn't admit it, but he was glad that Shizuo was now clued into what was going on, he would have trouble doing this by himself. If needed, Shizuo would be a good distraction, just so that he could have time to talk to Zack.

The teens were currently helping out in the playroom, Izaya made it a point to sit at a painting table, coaxing Zack to sit next to him. Every now and then, he'd turn his attention and try to talk to him. It was hard to do so without making the children think he was talking to them. Izaya also didn't want Zack to get upset again, making him believe that he didn't want to talk to him. Shizuo could see Izaya struggling to make conversation with Zack, without playtime outside, their plan was useless. Izaya had no chance of talking to the boy in a secluded room, it was way too obvious, and kids were too curious, they were bound to say something. the blond then got an idea, he excused himself and left the room.

A few minutes later, the sound of a fire alarm rang loudly throughout the building. Izaya startled, the kids started panicking and screaming, not quite sure where to run. The raven stood up and soon noticed that Shizuo was absent, he smirked. _Nice _now that it was obvious Shizuo caused the alarm to go off, he would have his chance to talk to Zack without anyone questioning him. Now all he had to do was part from the group without being noticed. Soon enough Shizuo came running back into the room, he glanced over at Izaya and the raven nodded a thanks. The blond began to help the carers calm the children down and form neat line.

"Remember your practice children! As quickly and neatly as possible. Well done, now follow Miss Layla in front of you, I will be behind to make sure none of you get left behind" Shizuo walked with them in the middle, Izaya followed but quickly veered off from the group, dragging Zack with him.

"Where are we going Big brother? The fireplace is outside the front"

Even though Zack was a ghost, Izaya couldn't help but feel irresponsible, and Zack was already getting worried. This probably wasn't the best plan, but it was their only shot. "We'll be safer at the Kanata temple I think" even before he said it he knew it sounded ridiculous. Izaya brought Zack into the playground and the two made their way through the forest and eventually came to a stop at the steeple.

"Are we going to defeat the creature now?"

Izaya shook his head, and feeling lightheaded again, he needed to sit down, he couldn't afford to faint again. Patting the snow, he motioned for Zack to sit beside him. "Not yet. I'd like to talk to you for a bit"

Zack took the space beside Izaya and sat down, banging his feet together. "What we gonna talk about big brother?"

Izaya took a deep breath, he'd have to be cautious, take it slow. "Zack, what's the last thing you remember before everyone started ignoring you?"

Zack pulled his legs up to his chest "I remember playing with Kei before"

"You don't remember anything after that? How about in the evening when you went to bed?"

Zack shook his head "No. I woke up and everyone was mad cause they started ignoring me"

"Did the carers look sad?"

"I guess. Not the other kids; but they did"

"And you're not sure why?"

"Nah uh. I tried to ask, but they ignored me too"

"Ok. So back to the night you went to bed. You didn't sneak out of your room or anything? Didn't wander outside maybe to play?" Izaya watched Zack's expression change slightly, there was a thoughtful frown on his face now. He was getting somewhere. "Did you come here Zack?"

"I- I don't know. Maybe...Me and Kei found it together, we were told not to play here. But-" Zack's eyes widened and Izaya knew that the boy was remembering. "I didn't listen-"

Izaya ignored his dizziness, he wasn't about to give up now. "Did you come here alone Zack?"

The boy nodded "I wanted to see if it was safe. I wanted to play with Kei the next day..."

Izaya chewed his lip and his heart sank, he almost didn't want to carry on. Before he came along, Zack had been ignorant of why he was ignored, and Izaya almost wished he could stay that way. He pointed to the broken steeple. "Do you know what happened?"

Zack frowned and lay his head on Izaya's shoulder. "Am I in trouble?"

Izaya closed his eyes, he wrapped an arm around the boy and said, "No. I just- I want to know what happened, maybe get everyone to stop ignoring you..." it pained him to lie, but it was to protect him as much as he could.

"I- Came here by myself. I wanted to look. I went inside but I wasn't supposed to. Miss Marie said it was bad, I didn't listen- I remember things falling on me, I screamed for help and-" Zack clung to Izaya's jacket, the raven could only guess what was going through his mind. "I didn't listen! I didn't!"

Izaya rubbed his arm soothingly "Shhh. It's ok. It's ok" _what have I done? _

Zack looked up at him, eyes full of tears, but it was what he said next that tore at Izaya's heart. "Big brother, am I dead?"

Izaya looked at him, unable to respond, he couldn't possibly reply to that! None of this was right, _he's just a little kid_ but eventually, the raven nodded slowly "I'm sorry Zack. I'm so sorry"

Zack threw himself at Izaya and the teen wrapped his arms around him "But I don't wanna be dead! I wanna play! I wanna go to a new family with Kei!" Izaya clenched his eyes shut, his own tears falling down his face, unable to stop them.

"It'll be ok. Everything will be ok"

Izaya couldn't stop the cough that suddenly riveted from his chest. Zack pulled back and Izaya tried his best to get his control back.

"I made you sick. Didn't I?"

Izaya shook his head "No Zack, you didn't. Don't think that, it's not your fault ok?"

"Am I a ghost? Is that why no one can talk to me?"

Izaya didn't imagine it to be this hard, why did Zack have to be so clever? "I think so. But the carers told the other children that you went away to live with a new family, they didn't want to upset them"

Zack wiped his eyes, the boy was shaking, Izaya didn't blame him, he was probably terrified. "I didn't get to say goodbye to Kei...he's my best friend" the boy looked at Izaya "What's gonna happen now? I don't wanna go away"

Izaya used the wall to pull himself up, he held out a hand to Zack. "But no one can see you here"

Zack took his hand and stood up "You can"

Izaya smiled "I know. But I don't live here. It's going to be lonely for you if no one can see you"

Zack lowered his head "But I'm scared..."

"It's ok. When you leave-" Izaya chokes back a sob "You'll go to a different place, they'll be lots of people that can see you there"

Zack glanced up "Kids too?"

Izaya nodded "And you can show them all your games that you like to play"

"You promise?"

"I promise"

Zack's hand tightened "Wish I could say goodbye..."

Izaya smiled and he began to form an idea. "I think there might be a way" he said, he looked around the snow covered ground, bending down he fished out a piece of broken wood. He pulled out a pen from inside his jacket and began to write the kanji for Kei. _I hope this works_ Izaya then turned to Zack and motioned for him to follow.

Halfway through the forest, Izaya pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Shizuo, hopefully neither of the carers had started looking for him yet.

They made it out the other side and by this point, Izaya was stumbling, he coughed a little and almost collapsed when his vision darkened, Shizuo was there to catch him. "Hey..."

Shizuo held him up by his arms "You look awful. Izaya, we should get you inside and-"

"No. Not yet. Zack knows..."

Shizuo's frown disappeared, his expression turning somber. "So what now?"

"He wants to say goodbye...to Kei"

"Are you crazy? That won't work, you'll scare the hell out of him if you tell him something like that!"

"No. I know, I have another idea... hold this" and Izaya gave Shizuo the piece of wood he'd been holding. "We can't use any of the kids, so you're the closest person we have, the fact that you're blond helps"

Shizuo looked at the wood with Kei's name on it, "But I can't see him Izaya, I can't talk to him if I can't see him"

Izaya smiled "Not yet"

Shizuo looked up and Izaya gave him a knowing grin. The blond gasped and yelled "No way! Absolutely not! Forget it!"

"It's the only way. I'll be fine. He just wants to say goodbye Shizu-chan..."

"You're already sick Izaya! What's this going to do if you let this happen?"

Izaya smiled _he really does care about me _Izaya decided that while he was concerned about getting close to Shizuo, he would get used to it. Izaya leaned forward and pressed his lips to the other. Shizuo's eyes widened for a second and then he relaxed and started to kiss back.

After a minute they pulled away "Izaya-"

Izaya placed a finger over Shizuo's lips "I'm not scared anymore. I'd like to test that more. But first, help me help him to not feel scared too"

Shizuo didn't like it, but if anyone could pull this off, it was Izaya. "All right. What do you want me to do?"

Izaya nodded "Just stand there" he then turned to Zack "I can help say goodbye Zack. Just relax and clear your thoughts. You can take over my body"

"How?"

"Don't think about touching anything. Just close your eyes and take a leap and think about Kei. When you open your eyes, you will see him"

"You mean it?"

Izaya nodded "Try it"

"I'm scared..."

"I know. But I'm right here with you, you can say goodbye through me ok?"

Zack then closed his eyes, his mind clear and then he leapt. Shizuo watched Izaya gasp and then stumble backwards, the blond stepped forward to help balance him. Izaya opened his eyes and smiled brightly. "Kei!" Shizuo became very aware that the boy Zack, was now in control of Izaya's body, which meant that he was most likely seeing his best friend. Zack looked at him with sad tearful eyes. "I have to go away now"

Shizuo swallowed the lump in his throat. "Why?"

"Cause I have to. You're my bestest friend in the whole world. I'm gonna miss you"

"I'll miss you too"

"Thank you for playing with me"

"Will you come back?"

Zack shook his head "I'm not allowed. But I'll see you maybe one day" Zack wrapped his arms around Shizuo and the blond reciprocated. "Bye..."

"Bye bye" Shizuo felt Izaya collapse in his arms and only imagined that it had worked, and Zack had left his body. "Izaya!"

…...

Izaya opened his eyes, tears clinging to the corners of them as he took in his surroundings. He was in the infirmary of the orphanage, glancing around he found Shizuo sitting beside him. Izaya smiled and the blond sighed in relief. "It worked"

Shizuo nodded and reached up to link their fingers together. "Good. At least he's at peace now"

Izaya nodded and sat up, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve. "Zack's tears" he said

Shizuo chuckled "Sure"

"Shizu-chan?"

"What?"

"Walk me home?"

Shizuo grinned "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't"

Izaya raised an eyebrow "Boyfriend huh? Aren't we ambitious"

Shizuo nodded "Very. I'd also like to take another test now"

Izaya smirked and pulled Shizuo toward him and pressed their lips together. "How's that? Did I pass?"

Shizuo laughed "With flying colours flea"


	17. Luna part 1

There was a light rattle against his window, he wanted to ignore it in favour of more sleep. It came again and he groaned in protest, flipping the covers up over his head. Soon enough, there came an actual knock, Izaya huffed and glanced at the clock, he was positive that it wasn't time to get up for school yet: 06:00. He sat up and was ready to take his anger out on whatever innocent bird dare to wake him up. Izaya threw back the black curtain, to reveal what was definitely _not _a bird. Not even a wild animal, Izaya smirked _well, that all depends on someone's opinion I suppose. _Shizuo was hanging from his window ledge, his grip tight around the square trellis. _Seriously? _Izaya chuckled and opened his window "Have you been reading Shakespeare Shizu-chan?" Shizuo gave him a blank look, Izaya raised an eyebrow "No? Romeo and Juliet. Romeo Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo?" Shizuo frowned "Ok never mind. Shakespeare Shizu-chan, he was a play writer"

Shizuo growled at him "Its six in the morning flea. I am not ready for lessons right now. so shut the hell up and let me the fuck in"

Izaya laughed "You're the one hanging from my wall right now. I believe that's called trespassing. At least when Romeo did it, he recited some wooing dialect"

Shizuo gritted his teeth "Then go fucking be with Romeo"

Izaya laughed again "Ok. first of all, he's a fictional character. Second of all, that play was written in the sixteenth century, which I believe-gay individuals were tortured and executed, so I think I like this timeline better. Thirdly-" Izaya was cut off by Shizuo's lips pressed against his, the raven grinned against the kiss.

"You are way too alert for this time of the morning flea. Damn it"

Izaya pulled himself up onto the window ledge and sat down "What can I say. I'm good looking and I have a wonderous mind, it's rare to have both"

Shizuo was getting annoyed and he could tell Izaya was doing it on purpose, just to keep him hanging here for his own amusement. "Let. Me. In"

Izaya grinned at him "No wooing dialect?"

Shizuo gripped the trellis tighter, almost snapping the wood. "Let me in and I won't shove you off the edge"

Izaya pouted "That was terrible Shizu-chan. You're supposed to say something like; A thousand times the worse, to want thy light. Love goes toward love, as schoolboys from their books, but love from love, toward school with heavy books"

Shizuo blinked and then gritted his teeth in agitation "That makes no fucking sense. Stop blabbering and move" Izaya decided that he'd rather not have part of his house broken, he chuckled and slid off the ledge and helped Shizuo through the window. Izaya laughed and pulled Shizuo backwards and they fell against the bed. Shizuo instantly put his palms out to stop himself from crushing the smaller male underneath. "I'm starting to get the feeling you have a small fetish for old written romance plays"

Izaya rolled his eyes "It's not a 'fetish' I simply have an appreciation for the arts of playwriting"

Shizuo shrugged "Whatever. It's all confusing if you ask me"

Izaya chuckled and leaned up to kiss Shizuo on the lips, he rolled them over and lay across Shizuo's chest. "Was that confusing?"

"No. that part completely makes sense" they kissed softly and after a few moments, tongues darted out to battle for dominance. Shizuo's hands came up to caress Izaya's back from underneath his shirt. Izaya let out an appreciative moan and Shizuo sat up and flipped their positions, the raven's head then softly hit the pillows, grinning up at the blond. He brought his knee up to rest against Shizuo's groin, Shizuo frowned and batted it away. "Stop that" Izaya chuckled and did it again, Shizuo growled and grabbed his leg, holding it down. "No"

"Are you shy, Shizu-chan?"

Shizuo rolled his eyes and sat up, bringing Izaya with him and the raven straddled his lap. "Shut up. I thought we were taking things slow. We haven't done anything besides making out, so if you don't mind, stop groping me"

Izaya rolled his eyes "Don't get so defensive. It's not like I asked you to fuck me. It was harmless teasing"

Shizuo shook his head "For someone who appreciates old tale romance, you're really vulgar sometimes, you know that?"

Izaya chuckled "I'm almost sixteen Shizu-chan, regardless of my unique interests, I'm still a normal hormonal teenager"

"I wouldn't go as far as to say you're _normal_" Izaya huffed and Shizuo laughed "However, I get what you're saying. I just- I don't want to rush anything. This is a pretty big step as it is, I don't know about you, but this is all very new to me. Besides, I _am _sixteen"

Izaya gave him a genuine smile and then kissed him lightly "I get it. I'm ok with slow. I really was just teasing you, it's not like I'm ready for anything beyond making out either. Just do me one favour?"

Shizuo raised an eyebrow suspiciously "What?"

"Take care of your morning excitement before you decide to come over and sneak up to my window"

Shizuo stammered loudly with a blush on his face "I _did_!"

Izaya laughed and removed himself from Shizuo's lap. "It's nice to know for future reference that you have a lot of stamina"

Shizuo covered his face with his hands "Shut up!"

Izaya grinned and stood up from the bed "Also, a warning text would be nice too. So that I can take care of mine"

A knock on the bedroom door startled them both "Izaya, are you up?" came his mother's voice.

Shizuo grinned at the irony of those words, Izaya glared at him and shoved a pillow in his face. "Y-yes. sure"

"Good. Don't want to be late for your second year introduction"

"I know"

Izaya removed the pillow from Shizuo to see him trying hard not to laugh. "Protozoan"

Shizuo chuckled and shifted off the bed, he stood up and kissed him. "Well, you're not so excited now"

Izaya shoved him off and pointed to the window "Get the hell out of my bedroom"

Shizuo quickly kissed him one more time and made his way to the windowsill. "See you at school"

Izaya sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, he smiled to himself "What a gentlemen boyfriend I have. I have to give him credit, one of us should have some restraint I suppose"

….

Science Lab: 11:00

"Who the hell wants to learn about plants" Shizuo growled out as he rubbed out something on his page for the third time.

Shinra looked up from his book and with the most innocent face said, "Someone who wants to be a botanist?" Shizuo glared at him and Shinra gave him a sideways smile "Joking!"

Izaya grinned, it wasn't the work that Shizuo was angry over, it was the _distraction. _Izaya lifted his foot over Shizuo's thigh slowly and lightly grazed his crouch, Shizuo gritted his teeth as he tensed before Izaya then lowered it down his leg. Shizuo glared daggers at him, the two were sat opposite each other on a square table, and the blond thought he'd be safer if they weren't sat next to one another, a decision he now regretted.

"Ok. moving on from the sheet" the teacher informed them "Your table group will now perform an experiment, so please come and get your collection of equipment from up front"

Shinra stood up "I'll get them"

Kadota nodded and followed "I'll give you a hand" and the two made their way up to the front of the room.

Shizuo watched them go and then turned angrily to Izaya, he slammed his fist on the table. "Would you stop it!"

Izaya grinned "Stop what? I was stretching"

Shizuo gritted his teeth "Like hell you were. Remove your foot before I rip it off"

Izaya laughed "I like my foot where it is actually"

Shizuo narrowed his eyes "Then remove it"

Izaya's eyes glinted playfully "No"

Shinra and Kadota came back with the equipment, Shizuo then slammed his fist onto Izaya's ankle, causing the raven to yelp in pain and retreat his foot. Shinra raised an eyebrow as they sat down, placing the equipment on the table. "What's wrong?"

Izaya glared at Shizuo, rubbing his bruised ankle under the table "Nothing"

Shizuo shrugged, completely ignoring the raven's glare and obvious protest. "So, what's the experiment"

…

Art class: 14:00

Izaya was still annoyed at Shizuo for bruising his ankle in their science lab. Even more so now since the blond was ignoring his texts. Izaya had kicked the back of his chair a couple of times, but it would seem Shizuo had developed a skill that would allow him to tune him out, vocal or otherwise.

Shizuo grinned to himself when he heard Izaya huff, he found it both amusing and adorable. He had discovered that the raven hated being ignored, and even more so since the one ignoring him was his boyfriend. He carefully looked down at his phone that was on his lap and finally read the messages that he'd received.

:I hate you:

:Shizu-chan, you're a child:

:Don't ignore me!:

:Fine! See if I care:

:Answer me!:

:Brute:

Shizuo rolled his eyes, he chuckled to himself, who knew that Izaya could be this sensitive. _I better answer him _Shizuo then typed a message

Izaya was glaring daggers at the blond's back and then looked down as he received a message. :Shut up flea. It's your own fault: _What kind of answer is that?_

Shizuo shook his head as he opened up his next message :I was bored! And you're a prude!:

Izaya grinned as he read the reply, he could practically hear Shizuo's voice yelling inside his head. :Just keep your hands AND feet to yourself while we're in class! It is NOT an appropriate place!:

"There are many forms of art depicting all kinds of intimacy" the teacher said as she switched on the projector "Please keep an open mind as I show you these images. I expect all of you to act like mature students, you are not in primary school anymore" Izaya and Shizuo's attention was brought to the front, as were their other classmates. An image displayed a sculpture of a male and female in a kissing embrace. "The sculpture _the kiss _was designed by artist Auguste Rodin. Originally designed for the gates of hell, depicting a scene from Dante's inferno. Shows lovers, Paolo and Francesca" the next image was displayed. "This image is an art painted by Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec. Depicting two women embracing and kissing in bed, he describes the scene as 'the very epitome of sensual delight'" a few images displayed together. "In early Greek art, they produced well developed examples of gay art. They considered adult male sexuality to be both normal and natural. Young males often took older males for mentors and sexual partners as seen on this 'Warren cup' which depicts two males engaging in sexual acts"

Izaya chuckled and sent a text to Shizuo :Art just got even more interesting:

Shizuo clicked his tongue, _great, that's all he needs, more encouragement _:You're impossible:

:Like you weren't thinking the same thing:

:Shut up:

…

Shizuo grunted as Izaya pushed him against the wall on the rooftop, hidden by another. He pressed his lips against Shizuo's, his palm flat on the brick surface. Shizuo pulled him closer and their bodies grinded against each other. "Someone is going to see us…." Shizuo panted.

Izaya nibbles on his jawline and down his neck. "Relax. No one is coming up here now…." Shizuo pushed him off and switched their positions, shoving the raven lightly against the wall, securing both of his wrists above his head. Izaya grinned. "Kinky" Shizuo rolled his eyes and Izaya laughed before feigning a struggle. "I'm at your mercy, Shizu-chan, what are you going to do?"

Shizuo chuckled and kissed him hard on the lips, tongue darting out, asking for access which was immediately granted. Izaya moaned into the kiss and Shizuo's hands eventually released his wrists in favour of his hips. Izaya's hands came up and snaked around Shizuo's neck. "We're supposed to meet Shinra and Kadota in our club room"

Izaya's fingers threaded through Shizuo's hair "Calling it a club room sounds pathetic"

Shizuo gently bit Izaya's bottom lip "But that's what it is. What do you want to call it?"

"PRO"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It stands for psychic research office "

Shizuo kissed him again "Yeah. that does sound better"

Izaya returned the kiss and then pushed him off "All right. we better go, before they come looking for us"

…..

Shinra was grinning when the two walked in. Kadota turned to them from the couch "Did you get held up or something, where've you been?"

"Art class ran late" Shizuo simply said as he slumped onto the couch beside him, nodding a thanks as Kadota handed him a soda.

Izaya walked toward the desk and sat down in the chair behind it, gently spinning it with his feet. "All right Shinra. Tell us why you're overly excited this time"

Shinra stood up from the single armchair and spread his arms out "You'll never guess what!" The three looked at him blankly. "No one is going to guess?"

Shizuo frowned "You just said we'll never guess it, so just fricking tell us already"

Shinra raised his hands up in mock surrender "Ok ok. geez. I was just trying to create a little suspense and-"

"Shinra~" Izaya said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Just like Shizuo, he was annoyed that they had to part from one another because of this. _This better be worth it _"Out with it"

Shinra sighed and then he was back to grinning "We have our first big real case!" That piqued their interest, all attention focused on the teen. "I know our other two cases were pretty big. And the other two don't count since the first one was our decision and the last one wasn't intentional. But this one is by far the best we've gotten!"

"Just calm down and tell us Shinra. You're giving me a headache"

Shinra nodded and took a deep breath to calm down, he knew that he was being slightly eccentric. "Ok. so the head of the school has realised what we've been accomplishing lately, based on those two cases we solved. Apparently he's friends with the head of a small middle school in Shinjuku. The school has been experiencing some freaky circumstances lately, turns out they've gotten so bad that they're thinking about closing the school"

Kadota leaned forward as he opened his can of soda, taking a large gulp before saying, "What kind of circumstances?"

"The usual really. Doors opening and closing on their own. Pictures flying off the walls for no reason. One girl from her class, is in the hospital right now after receiving a head injury, apparently she was in the library and suddenly a bookshelf fell on her. The students have started to get freaked out, some of them refuse to come to school"

Izaya raised an eyebrow _why would they want a group of high schoolers to deal with something like that? _"So you're saying that our head actually recommended us?"

Shinra nodded "Well the thing is, that it's not a very big school, and it also doesn't have the funding's a normal school might have. It's supposed to be for those who struggle with education or have behaviour difficulties, though some of the students are fairly tame in comparison to others, mostly the older kids"

Shizuo clicked his tongue "So in other words, it's a school for the delinquents"

Izaya rolled his eyes as he stood up and walked around the desk. "Be nice Shizu-chan. Schools that you've been in, might consider you a delinquent" Shizuo glared at him and Izaya chose to avoid his gaze, knowing he was going to hear about that later. "So that's why he recommended us, because the school is on a low budget crisis?"

Shinra nodded "It'll be even worse if word got out to public ears. So far, nothing has"

"Why is that?"

"I don't know. so far there's only been one incident where a student has gotten hurt, so they put that down to an accident. They don't think they have to worry about the other incidences because they're relying on students not risking their sanity by blabbing about it"

Shizuo crushed the can of soda that he had been drinking, trying not to let his anger show. "Then why are we getting involved if they're not really worried?"

Shinra frowned in concern "Because even though they're not worried about it being publicised; if more students start getting hurt then it could be a disaster. I think our head convinced his friend to seek help before that happens. He approached me with the details, and I was so excited I couldn't say no. given the circumstances, he's already given us the fees"

Izaya didn't like being told the payments for his own job. But since they were only in high school, and they were still under authority, he couldn't argue. "Fine. But it better be good, neither one of us is risking our lives for this case unless it's worth it"

Shinra tilted his head with a slight grin "I thought you didn't want to be in charge?"

Izaya rolled his eyes "I _don't. _but handling the payments is my job, if you want to handle it all then grow a pair"

Shinra pouted and sighed in defeat "So the deposit will be paid in the sum of 22,000, which we'll receive when we get there. the payment for completing the job will be 25,000. Making the full payment a total of 47,000. I know that's not a high amount considering it's a school, but it's the best one we've gotten so far. What do you think?"

Izaya leaned against the desk, palms flat on the surface behind him. "It's reasonable. For a low funded school, it's better than I expected. Am I to assume that we'll be getting a few days off?"

Shinra nodded with a smile "Most definitely. I can't wait! This is a great opportunity right!?"

Izaya chuckled at Shinra's enthusiasm, walking up to him and clapping him on the shoulder. "I can't argue with that"

Kadota had to agree with them, this was the kind of job they'd been waiting, it would help greatly when they started their own business professionally. The money they'd acquire would gain them more equipment too, and the job itself would give them a chance to actually use the ones they already had. "Sounds good. When are we supposed to start?"

"Tomorrow around ten. All the students will be settled in class by then, we should start in the library since that was where the girl got hurt"

Izaya nodded in agreement "We should also try and talk to the other students, maybe they can give us some clues"

Shinra smiled and put his fist against his palm "Then Shinjuku middle school, here we come!"

…..

Izaya chucked his phone on his bed, he'd just got home. Shinra had insisted on doing a little research on the school before they left, which turned out to be rather pointless, so he was slightly irritated. He removed his jacket and hung it on the door, he then removed his shirt and chucked it in the wash basket. The doorbell rang as he pulled on a dark grey hoodie and then removed his black pants. He stepped closer to the door to listen as he pulled on pair of slacks to match his hoodie. He couldn't quite distinguish the visitor's voice since they were talking so quietly. Izaya decided to leave the bedroom and then headed downstairs. When he reached the bottom step he saw his two sisters giggling and attacking a certain blond, Shizuo chuckled as he gave them a hug.

His mum then appeared and gestured to the twins to go and wash up for dinner. "You're welcome to stay Shizuo-kun" she told him. Izaya couldn't help but smile as Shizuo nodded with a small bow.

"Thanks. I appreciate that Mrs Orihara"

"No problem. And I've told you to call me Kyouko already" she then turned around and saw that her son was standing on the steps. "There you are. I was just about to call you to say that your friend is here" Izaya finally locked eyes with Shizuo "Dinner is in ten minutes" she then smiled at Shizuo "I hope you like Chilli, my husband makes a mean one"

Shizuo smiled, still looking at Izaya "I've been told. Thanks, I like chilli"

Kyouko then left for the kitchen, leaving the two alone. Of course, Izaya's parent's didn't know the real relationship between the teens, no one did. Izaya didn't want Shinra finding out just yet, even though their friendship was fine now, he still wanted to wait for the right time to tell him, so it was better for no one else to know either. "You're not angry then" Izaya said, and he knew Shizuo would know what he was referring to.

Shizuo frowned "I am. But I suppose you had a point"

"There wasn't a point. It just slipped out, that's all. But if we start acting too friendly, they'll start to think something is going on"

Shizuo stepped forward and took the first step so that he was face to face with him. "I doubt their first thought is going to be 'oh, they're getting along. They _must _be dating'"

Izaya laughed "All right. I guess that's true" he then grabbed the blond's wrist and led him upstairs to his bedroom, he kicked the door shut and shoved him against it.

"Dinner is almost ready, what are you doing?"

Izaya smirked and said "Apologising" before kissing him and then nibbling down to his neck, he opened his mouth at the crook and sucked hard on the skin. Shizuo moaned and reached around to thread his fingers through Izaya's hair. Izaya gently bit down on the already raised skin and then licked over it.

"Mmm… what- are you- a- vampire?" Shizuo panted out

"Complaining?"

Shizuo shook his head and then pushed Izaya backwards until his back hit the wardrobe. "My turn" he then latched onto the hollow part of Izaya's neck and nibbled and sucked on the skin. Izaya pulled Shizuo closer and their bodies grinded together. Izaya started to feel weak in the knees as Shizuo's hands caressed his sides from underneath his hoodie. The raven pushed him off before their make out session got too heated. "Did I hurt you?"

Izaya laughed "As if. No, I was just thinking we should stop before we get too carried away"

Shizuo blushed "You started it"

"And now I'm finishing it" Izaya grinned and pressed a light kiss on his lips. "Time for dinner"

"It's always nice to receive dessert before dinner"

Izaya clicked his tongue "Crude" Shizuo kissed him again "Tst. You can finish me later" The two blink in mild surprise, and this time, Izaya blushed and Shizuo laughed as the raven walked past him. "Shut up. Don't say a word"

….

Kadota parked the van in a spot closest to the school. There was a man in a dark grey suit waiting for them, standing on the pathway with his hands behind his back. Kadota and Shinra got out of the car first, Shinra stepped forward to greet the man first. "Hello. I'm-"

"Shinra Kishitani" the man interrupted as Izaya and Shizuo got out from the back. "I know all your names. Kyohei Kadota, Izaya Orihara-" he then looked directly at Shizuo with a frown. "And then there's you, Shizuo Heiwajima. Not a very promising reputation have you? I've heard all about you. I tell you, if you'd spent your middle schools days with us, we'd have made a good example out of you in no time"

Shizuo clenched his fist "What!?"

Izaya grabbed Shizuo's arm before he did something stupid. Narrowing his eyes at the man before them, he stepped in front of the blond and said "Why don't you take us to the principle now, Mr Tachigama"

The grin on Tachigama's face disappeared and he wasn't happy about being addressed as though he weren't important. "Tst" and then he started to walk toward the school's entrance.

Shinra looked at Izaya "Wow. I thought that _was _the principle"

Izaya shrugged "I'm sure he likes to think so. At least that's the impression I got when I made it quite clear that he wasn't"

Shinra whined "Don't piss him off Izaya~"

Izaya chuckled and then made it a point to bump arms with Shizuo as he walked toward the school "He deserved it"

…..

The four teens were sat in front of a long desk waiting for the principle to arrive. The school was indeed smaller than the average, only two stories high with a square foot of 32,000 for the first level and 28,000 for the second level. Despite their low budget, the school was not without essentials for the students learning facilities. The school was well kept, and the décor was of good quality standards. There were ten classrooms on each floor, with the library on the lower level. A science wing was separated from the main building and held a further four classrooms. The field was much larger in comparison to the rest of the school, giving the students a chance to fully embrace their physical education should they have the interest.

The sound of the door opened and then closed again. A man in a navy blue suit came in and sat himself down at the desk, he smiled politely at the teens and leaned forward, linking his hands as he lay them on the desk. "I'm Mr Uwasaki. Thank you for taking time from your schoolwork to be here. though when Mr Fook told me that he had students working on solving paranormal cases, I kind of pictured you as seniors at least. I'm not judging of course, just a little surprised"

"Don't think the asshole that greeted us felt the same way" Shizuo gritted out, Izaya's eyes widened a little and he sent a warning glare to Shizuo to tell him to shut up.

"Erm. Yes well, he's a little- he's worked hard for the school. Don't mind him. Anyway, I'm glad you're here"

Shinra was actually dying inside, they weren't getting off to a good start. _Note to self, keep Shizuo away from Mr Tachigama _he then laughed nervously. "We'll be happy to help. just tell us what's happened. We heard about the pictures flying off the wall and- and that a student got hurt"

Uwasaki nodded "Yes. Nothing else has happened to the students again so far. We're more curious as to why these events are even occurring in the first place"

Kadota then spoke "When did all this start?"

Uwasaki's expression became downcast "About a month ago, a female student by the name of-"

Izaya then interrupted "Luna Setton. Aged fourteen. Committed suicide by jumping off the school roof"

Shinra and the others gaped at him in surprise, _But we didn't find anything on the school yesterday, when did he find that out?_

Izaya grinned at the expression on Uwasaki's face, the man coughed and nodded "Well. You've done some research I see. Anyway, it was just after that, that the weird occurrences started. I really don't want to suggest that her spirit or whatever is haunting this place. But some of the other students have already started spreading those kinds of rumours. I was hoping for a more logical explanation"

"You don't believe in spirits, Mr Uwasaki?"

"It's not that I don't believe in them- just seems unlikely, like it could be a coincidence"

Shinra stood up and held his hand out for the man to shake "We'll do our best regardless of the outcome"

Uwasaki stood and took Shinra's hand "You sound very confident. I like that. here," he gave Shinra a slip of paper "The deposit as discussed with Mr Fook"

Shinra smiled and placed it in his pocket. "Thank you sir. Do you have an unused room we can work in? somewhere we can set up our equipment?"

"Oh. Well, we've got a room that's supposed to be for storage, we don't really use it, it's a spare really. It's quite large, if that's any help. second floor"

"That's perfect"

…

Kadota and Shizuo were unboxing their computer systems in the storage room, two monitors and two speakers sat side by side on a long wooden desk. Shizuo growled to himself as he unravelled a set of wires. Kadota looked over at him as he plugged in one of the screens to the power socket. "Something wrong?"

Shizuo grunted and then connected one end of the wires to a usb port in the first drive. "Just thinking about what that asshole said earlier. Pisses me off"

Kadota sighed a little and switched on each monitor "Don't let him get to you Shizuo. He doesn't know what he's talking about. He clearly doesn't agree with us being here, so he's just trying to get us out"

"You don't think I'm a delinquent, do you?"

"Of course not! You're a good guy Shizuo, so what if you got into trouble some, everyone has"

"Yeah. but I doubt they've destroyed furniture or attacked people with goal posts"

"Stop that. so you're a little rough around the edges, that's nothing compared to what's underneath the surface"

Shizuo smiled "Thanks"

Kadota sighed again as he checked the volume on the speakers. "Is this about what Izaya said back at school yesterday?"

Shizuo shook his head, he wasn't really that mad at him. "Nah. We're good I guess. That asshole earlier pissed me off more, believe it or not"

Kadota chuckled at the joke and they continued to set up the equipment in comfortable silence.

….

"So what do you think about the second year of high school" Shinra said as he and Izaya were setting up the tripods and microphones in the library. Shinra tightened the nozzle and looked through the lens to make sure the image was clear.

Izaya placed a microphone in the far corner of the room. "It's just the same as last year Shinra"

Shinra shrugged "I guess so, I was just trying to start a conversation" he picked up a microphone and placed it in the opposite corner to Izaya's one. "By the way, how did you find out about Luna Setton?"

Izaya twisted the microphone and clicked it in place on its stand "I found it in their database, I checked their newsprints to see if it was true"

"You hacked into their database?"

"I did"

"Why didn't you tell me? I looked like an idiot, I'm supposed to be in charge, he must have thought I was clueless"

Izaya chuckled "You were"

Shinra pouted "Seriously Izaya. A little heads up would have been nice"

"Sorry. But don't worry. He wasn't expecting us to know anyway. Her parents probably didn't want the general public to know, so it was kept out of new papers. Too bad they didn't do the same for the school's bulletin"

Shinra sighed "Can you please tell me next time, so I don't look like an idiot"

"If you didn't let on you were surprised, then you wouldn't have looked like one" Izaya laughed "I'm kidding. I promise, next time I'll tell you"

Shinra decided to let it go, it wasn't like he could really stay mad at him "Are we sure we want all these in here? what about the classrooms?"

"For now, we don't have enough equipment. This is where the incident happened, so we should keep an eye on this room. We've got two micro cameras left and we can stick those on each of the two levels, that'll show us the corridors at least"

Shinra smiled "Good thinking"

"If an event happens in any of the other rooms, we can move the camera's accordingly. But what we know of the occurrences so far, I doubt there'll be much need for camera's"

"True. But what about the thermal ones? We've only got one of those, shouldn't we set that up in the room where the pictures flew off the walls?"

Izaya gave a thoughtful frown "We'll switch it. like I said, we'll move it accordingly. We're still limited with our resources, so we'll just have to put them where most important"

Shinra nodded and then watched as Izaya turned his earpiece on. {How's the picture up there?} he spoke

{Looks good Izaya} came Kadota's voice in his ear

{Do the sound waves seem ok?}

{All good. We won't know about the inferred footage until tomorrow when we can look at the recordings}

{Right. We'll set up the camera on this floor and then we're coming back to you} Izaya looked over at Shinra who was grinning at him "What?"

"We're like secret agents"

Izaya rolled his eyes but chuckled anyway "Let's go. We should talk to the other students between breaks. Get some idea of what Luna Setton was like. if she is the cause of this whole thing, then we're going to find out why"

"Do you think she is?"

"I don't know. it might really just be a coincidence. If she wanted to commit suicide, why would she then haunt this place"

Shinra shrugged "Bullies?"

"Sounds likely. Could be home life too, we won't know until we ask around"

"Didn't you say that Aoi kid showed up at your middle school? He committed suicide and there was no bullying there right?"

Izaya tensed at the mention of his old school, the irony of them being in a middle school too felt eerie. "That's right. we'll just have to plan our questions carefully. Ask them in detail"

{Guys, I'm picking up some static} came Kadota's voice again

Izaya frowned _already? _The two teens were stood near to the entrance, Shinra was closest to the large bookshelf by the far wall and Izaya was stood next to a bean bag chair a few feet from him.

Shizuo and Kadota were watching the monitors for any signs of movement from objects. All the while they kept hearing a loud static sound. Shizuo pointed at the other screen. "Hey. Kadota, look. The temperature just dropped I think" Kadota stepped beside him and checked the reading.

"You're right. not by much though, keep an eye on it" Shizuo nodded and Kadota went back to watching the other monitor. Izaya and Shinra hadn't moved just yet, they appeared to be scanning the area, like waiting for something to happen. "They should probably get out of there for now" he said and then his eyes widened, and a loud gasp came out. "Holy shit"

Shizuo straightened and ran over "What? What happened?"

"A book! It just flew out off the shelf and hit Izaya on the back of the head. Damn"

Izaya cradled his head and yelled "Son of bitch! That fucking hurt!"

Shinra winced "Are you ok?"

"Shit. What was that?" Izaya rubbed his head, flinching at the tender spot and picked up the fallen book. He frowned in thought as he read the title. All of a sudden, the whole school was plunged into darkness. the only light in the library was that coming from the one window. "Damn it. well, at least the computers have back up power" he muttered.

Kadota and Shizuo tensed, they could hear a few panicked screams that were coming from the classrooms next door. "Thank god for night vision" Kadota said and switched the monitor over to the night camera.

"Can you still see them, are they all right?"

"I think so-" and then the camera fuzzed out "Shit, I was afraid of this"

Shizuo frowned "What? Afraid of what!?" there was panic in his voice that he tried to keep low

"If a paranormal occurrence happens, sometimes the equipment will malfunction" Kadota switched the camera back "I can't see a whole lot with this one"

Shizuo growled and switched his earpiece on {Are you two all right?}

{We're fine Shizu-chan. Just a little hard to see at the moment}

The two sigh in relief, Shizuo's heart was racing.

Izaya took a step forward and held his hand out "Shinra, take my hand and we'll make our way up to them" as soon as he said it, the power hummed back to life, causing them to blink at the brightness. Shinra gave a chuckle and Izaya smiled. "We better get out of here for now" Shinra nodded, but before he could take a step forward, there was loud creak and the large bookshelf toppled toward him. Izaya's eyes widened. "Shinra move!" Shinra raised his hands up to his face with a loud scream, Izaya ran forward "Shinra!"


	18. Luna part 2

Izaya skidded to his knees and hooked his fingers under the shelving, his expression one of worry. Shinra wasn't moving and he feared the worst when he noticed a small trail of blood running down the boy's forehead. Izaya gritted his teeth as he pulled against the heavy bookcase as much as he could. "Shinra, can you hear me?" he managed to say as he tried to use his weight to get under the shelving and push up with his back. No good. He wasn't strong enough, weren't human beings suppose to get extra strength caused by adrenaline in situations like this? "Damn it! move you piece of -"

"Izaya!" the raven looked up and over at the one who yelled his name, Shizuo ran toward him and he sighed in relief.

"Shizu-chan, help. I can't lift it," Shizuo pulled Izaya away from the bookcase and with what looked like little effort, he threw the large bookcase up and over and it split in half. Izaya was there again in an instant, pulling Shinra half on his lap, he frowned. "We need to call an ambulance."

Shizuo knelt down beside them and assessed the situation. "I don't think he's badly hurt, I think he's just -"

Izaya's eyes snapped up to him, narrowing. "Just do it!"

Shizuo frowned at him, why was Izaya yelling at him? It wasn't like it was his fault. But the blond wasn't going to get angry, that would only make things worse, and he figured the raven was just worried.

…

Kadota and Shizuo turned their attention to the door as Izaya walked through, looking slightly annoyed. He sighed as he took a seat at the desk, rubbing his temple and then swiped a hand through his hair, wincing when he brushed over a tender spot on the back of his head where the book had collided with it. "How is he, what did the doctor say?"

Izaya glanced at Kadota, acknowledging his question and then turned to the computer. He typed in several commands and then pulled up a file of the footage. "They said he'll be all right, that he was most likely knocked unconscious by the heavier books more than the case itself. He's got concussion and they want to keep him in for a forty eight hour observation, though he hasn't sustained any further injuries. His dad is with him now."

Shizuo leaned against the chair. "So I was right, that's good."

Izaya snorted. "What do you want, a medal? Congratulations Shizu-chan."

Shizuo gritted his teeth, hands clenching around the back of the chair. "I didn't mean -" he then straightened. "Tch. Whatever, if you want to act like an asshole right now then I'm out of here before I kick your ass."

Izaya rolled his eyes, still focused on the screen as he scanned over the previous readings. "My best friend is in the hospital; I'm not exactly going to be skipping around the room."

Shizuo narrowed his eyes. "I get that, but it doesn't mean you can blame other people."

Izaya span around, glaring at the blond, clenching his fist over the keyboard. "Are you saying it's my fault?"

"I didn't say that! how was what happened anyone's fault!?"

Kadota got between them, raising his hands up. "Come on guys, we've got a job to do, we can't let what happened to Shinra get to us."

Izaya turned back to the monitor, stopping any further conversation between them. Shizuo span on his heel and left the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Izaya tutted and as soon as the blond left he regretted the exchange of words almost immediately. The raven sighed, somehow they had already forgotten that they were meant to be a couple, maybe they had gotten too used to hiding it.

"Anything unusual?" Kadota said as he leaned in beside him to read over what Izaya was looking at.

Whatever Kadota wanted to say about the situation, he was considerate enough not to. "Define what's unusual under these circumstances?"

Kadota gave a light chuckle. "Yeah. all right, I see your point. What did you find?"

Izaya clicked on the footage and then watched the playback with annoyance. _I was right there. I should have pushed him out of the way._ Izaya furrowed his eyebrows. "Check the temperature readings we picked up during the accident. I'm wondering if there might be two different readings."

Kadota moved over to the other computer and clicked on the playback in sync with the footage. "What makes you say that?"

"Sometimes, objects can become warm during a poltergeist incident."

Kadota checked both readings. "Not sure about two, but the temperature around the room definitely dropped to a low degree."

Izaya scooted over to him and checked the results for himself. He nodded and then swiped over the screen with the cursor. "What about the audio, you said there was static earlier."

Kadota nodded. "Yeah, but that was before the lights when out." Izaya picked up the headphones and plugged the audio jack into the aux socket. He placed them over his head and scrolled back to the beginning when they first were in the room. Static, just like Kadota said, Izaya frowned as he listened - "Something wrong?"

Izaya placed his finger on his lips, asking for quiet. The static got louder and more distorted, but Izaya could hear something else – he lifted the headphones off and gave them to Kadota. "Here, let me know if you can hear that off sound in the background." Kadota placed the headphones over his head and Izaya skipped back a few frames. He watched for the teen's reaction and then Kadota nodded as he took off the receivers. "It's separate to the static right?"

"There's definitely more than one noise going on."

Izaya turned back to the screen and clicked the mouse, quickly typed in a command, and the audio playback split into two waves. "I'm hoping this will highlight the distinction between them, hopefully it will clear up the interference from the static."

Kadota was genuinely impressed, he didn't realise how good Izaya was at all this. "Is there anything you're not good at?"

Izaya shrugged and he placed the headphones back on and then played the second split wave. There was silence for a few moments, and he heard it -

Heavy breathing.

Izaya's eyes widened a fraction as he listened closely, the breathing got heavier and then it stopped abruptly, which might have been when the power shut off. Izaya handed them over to Kadota and played back the same audio. An almost shiver ran through him as he listened, taking them off, he grimaced. "That's kind of creepy."

"It could have been picked up from myself or Shinra, but the audio sounded too distant, if it were us, the sound would have been much closer."

"So what now?"

"We'll just have to keep an eye on the readings. We still have to set up the two micro camera's in the two corridors on each level. I'd also like to get started on asking everyone some questions. We should start with Luna's classmates."

"Good idea. Though I think it might be best if we questioned them here, they're more likely to be descriptive if they're not around others," Izaya nodded. "I'll set up the cameras."

Izaya leaned back in his chair. "All right."

…

Izaya sighed as he stretched in the chair. He'd questioned four students already and so far they'd barely told him anything. It didn't seem like they really paid attention to the girl, which might be an indication that she wasn't all that popular. Izaya looked up as a tall thin girl came in, long brown hair and wearing the school's uniform. She didn't look all that happy about being here, Izaya studied her, even her walk screamed 'look at me wrong and I'll kill you' A small grin graced his features and he motioned for her to sit down. He could have some fun with a girl like her. _I should remain professional I suppose. _"I just want to ask you some questions about Luna."

The girl popped a bubble with the gum she was chewing and then sat down with a frown. "You're like, a year older than me, who gave you permission to lord authority over our heads?"

Izaya chuckled. "Your principal actually. And for the record, I'm actually _two _years older." well, he was in a month, but she didn't have to know that. "Anyway. What can you tell me about her? I get the feeling you weren't friends."

She snorted. "Like I would be friends with a weirdo like her. Thinks she was better than everyone else because she got high grades."

_Ah the common jealously, so predictable. _"Why don't you actually answer my question. What did you know about her?"

"Loner. Always hung out in the library like a nerd."

"Did you ever interact with her?"

She rolled her eyes, popping another bubble. "What did I just say? She was a loner. Like I would even let her talk to me."

Izaya tilted his head with a slight grin. "Of course not. Because that would ruin your, "graceful" attempts to remain popular."

She gave him a forced smile. "Not exactly sure what you're getting at. But I'm not the only one at this school that didn't like her."

"I would presume so. Just one of the many sheep following the herd. Are you the shepherd? Do they follow your example? Do whatever you ask them to do?"

"Where do you get off talking to me like that runt. So what if I ignored her, it's not my fault she killed herself."

Izaya raised an eyebrow. "You keep avoiding my direct questions, and I didn't mention anything about the suicide. But there are many suicides that have been the result of bullying, Miss Ichika."

"Whatever. I ignored her and might have shoved her a few times, but I hardly think that is bullying."

"If you say so."

"You can't just come here and start accusing people of bullying."

"Actually I'm only accusing _you._"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What evidence do you even have to support that?"

Izaya grinned. "I don't think I need any. Your in-opposition is more than enough," She blinked at him for a second, and the raven knew she was turning that phrase over in her head. "It means you're highly defensive toward the accusations, most people react in such a way because they've been discovered."

"Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot! And I resent the accusation. What _you're _doing is bullying."

"Bullying is lame. Besides, I'm not _here_. That is why most of you are isn't it? behavioural problems?" She stood up and then stormed out of the room. Izaya sighed and then muttered to himself. "Well, so much for remaining professional."

….

Izaya glanced up from his laptop when the door opened and then closed again. Shizuo frowned at him and sat down in the opposite chair, Izaya turned back to the screen. "You're an asshole." The blond commented offhandedly, interrupting the silence.

Izaya rolled his eyes. "Noted."

Shizuo snorted and then made his way over to Izaya, grabbing him by the shirt and lifting him up from the chair. "Don't you have anything else to say?"

Izaya's eyebrows rose a little. "Like what?"

"How about an apology?"

"For what? Did I insult you?"

Shizuo frowned. "No…"

"Then what exactly am I apologising for? For being worried about Shinra, or perhaps for not reaching him in time -" Izaya then realised that Shizuo had tricked him into admitting what was wrong, the reasons why he was snippy with him earlier. "Damn it."

"Yeah thought so. It wasn't your fault you know. and I only meant that it was good that I was right, that Shinra didn't come off worse."

Izaya's eyes darted to the side, avoiding his gaze, and then lips were on his. Izaya's arms snaked around Shizuo's neck and then deepened the kiss. Pulling away, Izaya grinned at him. "Apology accepted," Shizuo clicked his tongue. "Wanna put me down now?"

Shizuo returned the grin. "Not yet." they kissed for another minute and then the blond released him.

Izaya chuckled. "Back to work. No fooling around on the job."

Shizuo laughed and then with a teasing tone said, "Come on. The boss isn't here."

Izaya rolled his eyes and then shoved him. "And if he saw that he'd have a breakdown. So hands off."

Shizuo huffed. "Oh so it's ok for you to grope me under the table at school – with your foot, but I'm not allowed to kiss you in a room that's actually _empty._"

Izaya looked up from the laptop. "Correct. At least when I did it, it wasn't noticeable. Anyone can just walk in here."

"Whatever. What are you looking at anyway?"

"The ones I questioned weren't much help. Luna wasn't very popular it seemed, so neither of them knew much about her except that she was always in the library and that she was quite smart. That triggered a lot of jealously."

"So she _was_ bullied."

Izaya gave a small shrug. "For now, that's what it looks like."

"Kadota told me that we picked up a strange noise from the audio."

Izaya nodded and said, "Heavy breathing. Nothing else; could be nothing, could be something." Izaya then frowned as he scanned over the page he was on.

"What?"

"I'm looking at Luna's file,"

"Seriously? do you ever not do anything illegal?"

Izaya clicked his tongue at the implications. "You make me sound like a criminal. Anyway, it says she was seeing a school councillor."

"Well it didn't seem to help much."

"I would imagine not. Since the councillor she was seeing was Mr Tachigama."

Shizuo growled. "That fucking asshole is a councillor!?"

Izaya shrugged. "Apparently so. He also teaches Math, and he's Mr Uwasaki's second."

"It's a wonder that no one else has committed suicide if he's the councillor."

Izaya chuckled. "You just hate him because of what he said to you."

"Shut up. I also got the impression that he barely liked any of the other kids here either."

Izaya stood up and said, "Well, regardless of that. we should -"

Kadota then burst into the room. "Hey. You should come and see this." Izaya and Shizuo share a glance and then followed their friend outside. Kadota led them down the corridor and into a classroom. The students were staring at the chalk board in horror. "I was on my way back to you after I double checked the camera's, I heard screaming and then this happened."

Izaya and Shizuo stared at the display on the board, the raven stepped closer to it. "Are you saying this wasn't done by anyone here?"

Kadota shook his head. "No. I saw it with my own eyes. A piece of chalk was moving by itself."

Shizuo tilted his head. "What is it?"

Izaya took his phone out and snapped a picture of it for future reference. "I don't know. A symbol of something."

…

It was late now, and the school was empty of students, aside from the three teens that opted to stay behind for further observation. It would be a lot easier to pinpoint any paranormal occurrences now that there wasn't crowds of people around. The school was quiet. Kadota remained in the storage room, keeping an eye on the camera's and the readings.

Shizuo was walking around the school performing small incantations to try and cleanse whatever spirit was haunting this place, though it was mostly likely Luna's. He didn't much like wearing the shozoku, despite what he was trying to achieve; but Izaya insisted and said it 'sets the mood' whatever that meant. He'd been doing this for an hour now and nothing seemed to drive the spirit out, so he wasn't even sure that his attempts at cleansing was working.

Izaya was in the classroom the symbol had appeared, the classroom was actually Luna's homeroom, which made sense that the drawing would appear here. Izaya made his way around the desks, wondering which one was hers. He began checking them one at a time, looking inside and underneath; as he knelt down and ducked under to check another, the door to the classroom slammed shut. Startled, Izaya cursed as he smacked his head on the edge of the desk. he sighed and wondered if he too was going to get concussion by the end of this case. As he stood up, rubbing his head, he looked up and gasped. There she was, or he assumed it was her. Izaya swallowed and backed up a step, the chair behind him moved as he knocked it slightly with his leg. "You're Luna. Right?"

And suddenly, the lights flickered and then blew with a loud pop. Izaya covered his head from the small fragments of glass that showered from the ceiling. He looked up again and she was gone, he ran over to the door and stopped. Slowly, he pulled down the handle, expecting it to be locked, but the door opened. With a sigh, he made his way out into the corridor, only to find that the whole school was in darkness. "Great." he touched his earpiece and said, {Are the computers still running Dota-chin?} Instead of a response, all he got was interference. And then – "Ah!"

A high pitched noise came through the earpiece, causing him to collapse to his knees. He immediately took it off and chucked it down the corridor. "Shit!" covering his ear with his hand, he pulled it away and was relieved when he couldn't feel any signs of damage. Instead, he pulled out his phone and frowned when he realised that it was dead. "What's going on?" standing up, he moved over to the wall and felt his way along, the storage room wasn't that far from his position. "Should have taken my torch." He muttered. Walking past the staircase, he stopped abruptly when he heard footsteps. Swallowing thickly, he took a step back. "Shizu-chan, is that you?" the steps became louder and were almost in sync with his fast beating heart.

A hand touched his shoulder and he let out a yelp, spinning around and threw a fist out of instinct. "Izaya! Whoa, it's me. Calm down," Izaya's breathing was loud in his ears and he struggled to control his heart rate. "Are you ok?" Eventually, he realised it was Kadota, and there was a light shining to the side that indicated a torch in the other's hand.

Izaya let out a shaky breath. "Damn. You scared the crap out of me."

"Sorry. When the lights went, I got worried. Is your phone off too?"

Izaya nodded and then took the other torch that was offered to him. "Did you hear a high pitch noise just now?"

Kadota shook his head. "No. why?"

Izaya frowned. "Never mind."

"Did you?"

Now that there was some light to guide him, Izaya started to make his way downstairs, the footsteps behind told him Kadota was following. "I heard it through my earpiece, it almost burst my eardrum." The two walked down the steps slowly and turned when they reached the first corner. "Have you heard from Shizu-chan at all?"

"No. The whole equipment malfunctioned so I don't even know where he is right now."

"Any feedback before that?"

"Way more static then before. I thought I saw something on camera, but that's when everything shut off."

Izaya shone his torch down the corridor as the two took the last step off the staircase. "I saw her."

Kadota blinked in surprise. "Where?"

"The classroom that the symbol appeared in."

"Did she attack you?"

"No. But that's when all the power flickered out, the lights on the ceiling blew though."

"Damn. I wasn't quite sure that you would even see this one."

"Me either. I sent a picture of that symbol to Shinra earlier. Since he's not allowed to leave the hospital, he wanted something to do. Maybe he can find out what it is."

As the two turn the corner, their torch light shone on the one they were searching for. Shizuo was stood in front of the library, Izaya frowned as they made their way toward him. Once they stopped beside him, the raven glanced up at him, he looked slightly bewildered. "Shizu-chan?"

Shizuo then pointed inside the library. "Look," The two turned their attention from him and then gasped. A few seconds at a time, they watched a book fly off a shelf, skidding across the floor. "I was reciting a chant in here, then all of a sudden this happened. It's only just started, I didn't wanna get hit by a book like Izaya, so I came out here."

Izaya clicked his tongue at the reference. "Well that would explain why the equipment malfunctioned since it's happening in here." The throw of books stopped; Izaya stepped into the library first and then was followed by the other two close behind. Shining his light, the raven began picking up the books that had been scattered over the floor, he felt that there was some significance to the books, and as he took note of each one when he picked them up he began to think he was right. "Notice anything?"

Kadota frowned as he helped shine the light over the ones still on the floor. "They're all Math books."

Izaya nodded and gestured to the other four. "Grab those. We'll keep these with us for now."

…

The three teens were waiting for the power to come back on, they couldn't afford to risk roaming about the school in the dark for too long. Izaya was checking the books they'd retrieved, looking for any signs that might link these books to their spirit. "These books all have one thing in common at least."

"You mean besides being the same subject?" Shizuo said, he was sat with one leg propped up and leaning against the wall, bored out of his mind.

"Yes Shizu-chan." Izaya replied with a little annoyance, he knew the blond was bored, but he didn't have to be so snarky. "All of these were checked out by Luna at some point. Different dates of course, over time."

Kadota was trying to get the backup power in their equipment to work, he raised his head from the computer and said, "You said she was a top student right? Would make sense that she checked out the most books."

Izaya nodded, they could see one another well enough, thanks to their battery powered LED lights. "I also said that Mr Tachigama taught Math."

"Think she was in his class?"

Izaya shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe." All of a sudden the power flickered back on and the room was cast with light, and the computer systems hummed to life. Izaya stood up, scraping his chair. He then walked toward the door, turning to Kadota. "See if the feedback we picked up before the power went is still there. If so, check the audio and split the wavelengths, there might be other background noise like there was the first time."

"All right. but how do I that? split the waves I mean."

"Just highlight the audio's playback, there should be a split option, then type in the command prompt, which is 'silent reduction, wave 1.' the bottom half should playback with no additional static. It won't work though if there isn't another noise."

Kadota nodded. "Got it"

Shizuo then stepped beside Izaya. "Where are you going?"

Izaya smirked. "The councillor's office. I'm feeling troubled."

Shizuo rolled his eyes. "Tch. Is that so. You know it's probably locked right?"

Izaya then walked out of the room as he said, "Not a problem."

Shizuo sighed and briefly wondered if maybe his boyfriend was actually a criminal before making his way over to Kadota.

"Well, here goes. We were able to save the feedback, and the audio split, so it picked up something during all the static." Shizuo stepped closer to listen and Kadota clicked the playback.

Silence.

Silence.

And then – a spout of whispers sounded through the speaker.

'-will suffer.'

'Murderer…'

'Murderer….'

And then the voice grew louder.

'Save me!'

'Mommy!'

Kadota and Shizuo jumped slightly and then the audio clicked off. "Ok. that wasn't nothing." The brunet said as he turned to look at Shizuo.

Shizuo frowned "Does this mean she was murdered?"

"I don't know. I don't think we should jump to that conclusion just yet."

"What conclusion! Didn't you hear what she said!?"

"I did. But the police already confirmed the suicide, if it's true, we need more than this."

"It's solid evidence Kadota!"

"From a ghost. That was only picked up by the audio feed. Who's going to believe that?"

"Can't we just show them, if they hear what we just heard -"

Kadota shook his head. "Even if they do hear it. who are they going to arrest? For all we know, she could just think she was murdered. She might not even remember committing suicide; if she was bullied, then she could be just putting blame to someone."

Shizuo sighed in frustration, he didn't like it, but they weren't in a position to do anything just yet. "What now?"

"Wait until Izaya gets back from whatever he's doing I guess. He might find something else useful."

…

Izaya frowned in concentration as he flipped through the pages of Tachigama's sessions with Luna. Since their conversations were typed and not audio recorded, it was taking a while to find anything remotely helpful. The talks started off with mentions of peer pressure from other students. She wanted to fit in but got shunned because of her too kind personality and her intelligence. There was talks of encouragement in her subjects, and he found out that she wasn't originally in Tachigama's math class. She was transferred. Izaya read the conversation through more carefully after that.

Tachigama: My class is more advanced than the one you're in, but I think you can handle it. This way, you won't be the only smart one in your class, and others won't pick on you there.

Izaya turned the page. _Well that explains all the math books that she checked out. _

Luna: You can do that?

Tachigama: I can. You know I care about your well-being.

Izaya frowned then, something about that statement had him feeling nauseous.

Luna: Thank you Mr Tachigama.

Tachigama: Not a problem my dear.

Izaya noticed the rest of the pages were blank, which meant that had been the last session recorded. Something told him though, that the sessions carried on longer then what was stated. A loud thud caused him to jump and a small hiss escaped him, he brought his finger to his mouth to suck on the small papercut there. "Damn it." The thud came again, vibrating off the table he was sat at. Izaya closed the file and placed it back in the cabinet where it belonged, Tachigama wouldn't ever know he was in here. The door would be unlocked when the man came by the next morning, but he had confidence that Tachigama would think he just forgot to lock it. Standing up, he decided to make his way back to Shizuo and Kadota, the blond would only start to worry otherwise. The light in the room flickered for a moment. "Not again." It was then that he heard something; no, not something, _someone. _

'_Hush little darling, don't say a word,'_

'_You won't ever wake up to the sound of birds,'_

'_And if you do, I promise one thing,'_

'_No one will be around to hear you sing.' _

Izaya's blood ran as the voice echoed inside his head, humming the rest of the tune. He edged closer to the door, slowly shuffling his feet. The moment he turned to run, the door slammed shut, he immediately tried the knob and it wouldn't twist, it was locked. Izaya pounded his fists against the door, pulling and kicking it. "Shizu-chan!"

The raven stilled when he heard a noise from behind him, he span around, backed against the door. The noise was coming from the back of the room, his heart raced, and he took a few steps forward. The moment he peered over the desk, Izaya was thrown backwards when a sudden bout of blames burst forth. Grimacing, he watched as flames licked up the wall and slowly caught the chair behind the desk. Wood burnt easily and the chair went up in an instant, sparks hitting the desk. Stumbling to his feet, he threw himself at the door, banging his fist on it. The room was small, and he knew it wouldn't be long until he passed out and the flames engulfed him. Izaya coughed, trying to cover his mouth, the smoke was getting thick. "Shizu-chan! Dota-chin!" Coughing harshly, Izaya's eyes started drooping and his movements got slower. "I- can't…..stay…awake – help…." He slid down the door and fell to the floor, eyes closing and then he blacked out.

…

Shizuo growled to himself, he was getting worried now, Kadota watched him pace back and forth. "Damn it. he's taking too long; I'm going after him."

Kadota nodded, standing up to gesture he was going to follow. Just as the two prepared to leave, the fire alarm rang through the school loudly. The two shared a concerned glance before cold dread filled them. "Shit."

Shizuo's eyes widened. "Izaya!" And the two ran out of the room just as the sprinklers from above hissed and rained down on them.


	19. Luna part 3

Shizuo and Kadota ran through the corridor; thankfully the councillors office wasn't that far from their temporary one. Kadota tripped and almost skidded on his ass, the floors were getting slippery due to the water that was still sprouting from the sprinklers. Their hair was sticking to their face and Kadota swiped his dripping strands away from his eyes. Shizuo skidded to a stop by the office, they noted the door was shut. The blond pounded on the door after finding out that it was actually locked. "Izaya! Are you in there!?"

Kadota frowned as he knelt down and placed his hand on the floor near the crack under the door. "Whoa. It's pretty warm,"

Shizuo narrowed his eyes as he glanced down at Kadota. "What does that mean?"

Kadota looked up at him with a worried expression. "That the fire might have come from here, what set off the sprinklers in the first place." Shizuo's eyes widened and he pushed Kadota back. Seeing that Shizuo was about to ram down the door, Kadota grabbed his arm. "Are you crazy! You can't just break down the door!"

Shizuo growled and yanked his arm away. "The hell I can't!"

Kadota grabbed him again. "If the fire isn't out and you barge in there, the whole thing could blow, it might even take us with it."

Shizuo narrowed his eyes. "I'm not fucking waiting Kadota!" Shizuo crouched slightly, preparing to bust open the door with his foot. "The fire was probably put out by the sprinklers already."

"But Shizuo - Izaya was - if he was in there when,"

"Shut up! The fire didn't spread through the whole room, otherwise the door would be burnt." Shizuo took a running jump but stopped suddenly. _If he passed out, he could be behind the door. _Shizuo frowned and then slammed his fist through the wood and turned his wrist, he twisted the knob and the door opened. The blond slowly opened the door, noting that the fire was indeed out, but the room was blackened; melted wood, charred walls and burnt cabinets. Shizuo growled to himself, he then turned his attention to the side when something caught the corner of his eye. "Izaya!" The blond ran over to him, he was unconscious. Shizuo looked down at the floor, it was charred right up to where Izaya lay, which could only have meant that if the sprinklers hadn't gone off when they did, the raven would have been next. What if there had been no sprinklers in here at all? Gritting his teeth, Shizuo cradled Izaya within his arms and took him out of the room. Kadota knelt down beside them as Shizuo placed him down on the floor, gently brushing the damp bangs from his eyes.

Kadota watched the exchange with curiosity, for two people that didn't get along so well, the scene before him was so unusual. He shook his head, it didn't matter at the moment, besides, Shizuo was still Izaya's friend, he wouldn't blame him for worrying.

Shizuo shook Izaya's shoulder, he then placed his head against the raven's chest and a small smile crossed his face when he felt it slowly rise and then fall.

"I'm a little concerned about smoke inhalation," Kadota said. "We should call an ambulance and the fire department, we're just visitors at this school, if we don't call it in right away, Mr Uwasaki will think we're responsible. Mr Tachigama already thinks you're trouble, we don't wanna give him a reason to back that up."

Shizuo clenched his fist; while what Kadota said angered him, he could see his point. Suddenly, a hand come up and he felt fingers threading through his hair and then, "Shizu…chan." Eyes widening, Shizuo realised he was still laying on Izaya's chest. Shizuo shot up and locked eyes with him. "Did I.. make it?" They sigh in relief. Shizuo nodded and helped Izaya to sit up. The raven coughed harshly and reached out for Shizuo's arm; the blond pulled him up to his feet. "Fire…."

Kadota nodded and then said, "What happened?"

Izaya frowned and his mind reeled back to what he'd heard before the sudden explosion of flames. "There was…a voice."

"Was it the girl?"

"I think so…" Izaya winced as he coughed again.

"Let's get outside, fresh air will help; we'll call the departments from there."

Shizuo then remembered something. "Our phones are dead" he said with a frown.

"There's a phone box just across from the school. I'll use that."

….

Within forty minutes, two fire trucks and an ambulance were stationed outside the school. Mr Uwasaki had been called; he was stood talking with two of the firefighters as they waited for confirmation of the damage. Izaya was sat just inside of the ambulance, with his two friends by his side, he had a blanket around his shoulders and had been subjected to many tests. His mouth and nose were checked for soot; his breathing was being monitored and the paramedic had already listened to his chest for any signs of built up fluid.

The firefighters that had entered the building before were now heading in their direction, and they didn't look very happy. "You said the fire originated in the councillors office?" one of them spoke.

Kadota nodded and decided to answer first. "Yes."

Shaking his head, the man huffed in annoyance. "I don't know what it is that you kids get a kick out of when you make a false call. Honestly, it makes me sick. This is a waste of our time and our resources!"

The three teens looked absolutely dumbstruck. Shizuo growled. "We're not making it up! Did you even look in the room!? It was fucking destroyed!"

"No. it wasn't. Nothing looked out of place at all."

The paramedic sighed and then frowned as he switched off Izaya's monitor. "He doesn't have any signs of smoke inhalation either. Even if there was a fire, if he was within the room, it couldn't have been no more than a few seconds. This really was a true waste of time. I hate kids like you, pulling pranks for your own amusement."

Izaya frowned and shoved off his blanket, this couldn't be happening, that room was on fire! He was right fucking there! "What about the sprinklers? They wouldn't have gone off if there wasn't a fire."

The firefighter snorted. "Please. Do you think I was born yesterday? Anyone knows that if you put a lighter toward the sensor, it'll set it off. Such a pathetic attempt to cover yourselves."

Shizuo clenched his fists, this was ridiculous, he saw that room with his own eyes damn it! He heard the ambulance doors close behind him, the paramedic sighing as they got into the van and drove off.

Uwasaki bowed to the firefighters. "I'm truly sorry for what has happened,"

"Not your fault," The man looked at the three teens, who were frowning back at him. "You can't change them all I suppose." And they slammed the doors of their trucks and rolled out of the car park and down the street.

The teens were then left alone in the parking lot with Uwasaki, silence overcame them until he gave a tut of disappointment, shaking his head. "I truly thought that you were good kids. I trusted you enough to let you stay here to assess the situation."

Izaya stepped forward, he was fuming inside, but he had learned to remain calm on the outside. "We're not making this up Mr Uwasaki. Something happened in the councillors office, there was a fire. I don't know how to explain it, I was there. The door locked behind me and I couldn't get out. It's the truth, we're not pranksters, you would not have taken Mr Fook seriously if you doubted that we could help. Something happened in this school that even you didn't know about."

Shizuo and Kadota looked at one another, both having no idea what Izaya was on about. Had he had another dream?

Uwasaki shook his head. "I was willing to believe whatever you might have discovered. But then you go and do something like this. Since I am not your principle, it's not my job to inform your parents, but I will inform Mr Fook immediately and he can decide what to do. Please pack up your equipment and I suggest you all go home."

Shizuo growled. "But we're not finished!" He then pointed at the building. "That school is still being threatened by something, you're putting your students at risk, don't you care about that!?"

Uwasaki frowned. "Of course I care. But in my opinion, you're much of a dangerous risk as whatever is in this building."

"Are you fucking kidding me!? You -"

Izaya grabbed Shizuo's arm, halting him from making their situation worse. "Shizu-chan, that's enough." Izaya frowned at the principle. "We'll go. I just hope you don't regret the decision."

….

"I'm. So. Pissed. Off!" Shizuo growled out as he helped Kadota carry the last box of equipment into the van. Izaya was sat cross legged, checking their equipment for any water damage, thankfully, there had been no sprinklers in their room. Shizuo looked at Izaya, the raven was acting way too calm, focusing on his task. "How can you be so damn calm about this!? Aren't you pissed off at all?"

Izaya sighed and stopped what he was doing to turn his attention to Shizuo. "Yes Shizu-chan. But unlike you, I can keep my anger under control and not yell at everything, big or small, that might annoy me. Honestly, almost anything will set you off most of the time."

"You could have fucking died! So I don't give a shit whether I get angry or not!"

Izaya looked at him with a frown and then glanced over to Kadota. "Give us a minute, would you?"

Kadota nodded hesitantly. _They're acting so weird. _He left the van and opted to stand a few feet away to give them privacy.

Izaya sighed and said, "Shut the door Shizuo."

Shizuo's anger subsided a little and he pulled the door shut, he suddenly felt nervous. "Izaya -"

Izaya put down the drive he was holding and scooted over to the blond, placing his hands on both sides of his face. "I'm all right. You don't need to get so angry. Things like this are going to happen, we need to get use to that. I know you care about me, and, and I care about you too. But if we're going to make us work, we're going to have to be prepared for anything. Constantly worrying about the other is going to cause a lot of problems. I'm not ready to tell anyone yet Shizu-chan," Izaya tilted his head with a grin. "So try not to make it too obvious, ok?"

Shizuo lightly wrapped his hands around Izaya's wrists and pulled them away from his face with a loud sigh of defeat. "I'm sorry. I know I can overreact. It's just – you mean a lot to me…I guess."

Izaya chuckled. "That's a bit much, but all right, I get it. Thanks."

"Tch. Yeah well, it's your fault." Izaya shrugged and then gently kissed Shizuo on the lips. "Why do I feel like you always manipulate me when you kiss me?"

Izaya kissed him again. "Because, I'm so good at it. And you turn into mush whenever I do."

Shizuo shook his head and kissed him back. "I don't think that's a good thing."

Izaya grinned and leaned in to whisper in Shizuo's ear, "Just wait until we start to really get physical."

Shizuo blushed and then shoved Izaya off. "Damn flea."

…

The three teens were sat in the privacy of Shinra's hospital room, having decided to visit the boy before school started, to explain what had happened at the Shinjuku middle school. Shinra scratched his head and leaned back on his pillows with a slight grunt of surprise. "Wow. You were lucky none of you were seriously hurt. But something bugs me about your story," He quickly put his hands up. "Not that I'm doubting any of you or anything. It's just; let's say that it was Luna, why would she cause a fire and then set off the sprinklers. She must know that we're trying to help her."

Izaya turned to him from staring out the window. "Well. There are a few reasons I could come up with. One; she really is just an angry spirit with no other memories and is just out to get anyone. Two; the fire was an accident and she set off the sprinklers to protect me. Though if that were the case, the damage caused by the fire would have still been there. That fire was definitely a result of a poltergeist."

"Maybe it was. Maybe it was an accident caused by her anger and she then set off the sprinklers to rectify her mistake."

Izaya nodded. "Sounds more plausible. But there's a third option that I know is going to sound – _too accurate_. The fire wasn't supposed to be a means to hurt me."

They frowned at him. Shizuo took a step forward and said, "What do you mean?"

"I was in Mr Tachigama's office when the fire erupted. I think she was trying to tell me something at the time, the sprinklers were set off afterward because she really didn't want me to die. I didn't exactly want to die either."

Kadota frowned in thought, he then remembered what Izaya had said to Uwasaki before they left the school. "What did you mean when you said, 'something happened that even you didn't know about'."

Izaya chewed his bottom lip for a moment. "When I passed out, I saw something, it was a memory…."

_Izaya sat up from the floor with a gasp; looking around the room, he narrowed his eyes, he could have sworn that the room was in flames a minute ago. He jumped when he heard the door beside him open, quickly standing up, he pressed himself against the wall in the corner. Though he was aware that they would notice him almost instantly. They didn't, however. Izaya watched with curiosity as Mr Tachigama and Luna appeared in the room, he motioned for her to take a seat and then brought his chair to sit in front of her. _This must be one of their sessions. _He thought to himself with a deeper frown. He watched their exchange carefully; it was strange to witness the memory and not experience it himself for once. That certainly was new. _

"_You're a promising young student Miss Setton. I feel like I've gotten to know you a lot."_

_Izaya frowned, he got the same feeling he did when he read the recording of their last session before. _

"_Thank you Mr Tachigama. I feel like I can tell you anything. You've helped me through so much."_

_Tachigama smiled. "I'm just sorry that those girls are still picking on you. I promise, nothing will happen to you."_

"_Thank you."_

_His hand suddenly reached over and began caressing her knee. "You're special to me Luna, you know that?"_

_Now Izaya was extremely grateful that he was witness to this, and not experiencing the part of the victim. He grimaced and watched Luna's expression change from a grateful smile to one of surprise and disgust. _

"_M-Mr Tachigama…. I, I don't think this is right,"_

_Tachigama smiled and shifted closer. "It is. You must feel it too. Our connection." He leaned forward to kiss her, grabbing her arm. She yanked it away and stood up abruptly, running out of the classroom before he had a chance to stop her. _

The three teens stared at the small raven; their mouths agape. Shinra was the first to speak, stuttering out his sentence with no intention of hiding his surprise. "Um – what? A-are you saying he made a move on her?"

Izaya nodded. "She rejected him and left before he could stop her. That's when I woke up."

"But, but we've got to tell Mr Uwasaki!"

Izaya sneered. "And say what, that Mr Tachigama is a paedophile and we found this out because _I _had a dream? Right. That'll convince him."

Shinra sighed. "Then what now?"

"Well, unless Mr Uwasaki comes to his senses and clears up the misunderstandings; I don't know about Dota-chin, but I'm grounded for life right now."

Shinra gave Izaya a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure your parents will realise that you wouldn't do something like that."

Izaya huffed. "The point is that they _did. _We don't have any proof that we didn't, unless Mr Uwasaki drops the accusation."

Shizuo growled, he wasn't at all happy about taking the blame for something they didn't even do. Luckily for him, his parents weren't a part of his life, and that he lived alone. "What about Tachigama?" He said. "It's kind of obvious at this point that he did it."

Kadota blinked in surprise. "That he murdered her?"

Shizuo nodded and turned to Izaya. "It fits, right?"

Izaya leaned on the window ledge. "It would make sense. She rejects him, he shuts her up before she can tell anyone. And now she's one pissed off spirit."

Shinra frowned. "Ok. so what do we do now?"

"I don't know," the sound of a phone interrupted them. Izaya pulled his own from his pocket and frowned. "It's Mr Uwasaki." He then answered the call. The others watched the raven listen intently to whatever was being said, and given Izaya's expression, it wasn't good news. Izaya hung up and looked at his friends. "He wants us to go back to the school. Apparently there's something we should see but he couldn't explain it over the phone, I got the feeling he didn't want to. Seeing is believing after all."

Shizuo and Kadota looked at him suspiciously. "I thought we weren't allowed back there." Kadota said

"The accusation has been dropped. Which means I'm going to get a flurry of apologies when I get home later. For now though, let's just go and see what's happened."

Shinra felt annoyed that he couldn't go with them, he was stuck in the hospital for at least another day. "Be careful. Sorry I can't be much help," he then remembered. "Oh. Izaya, that symbol you sent me, I found out what it is."

"What is it?"

"It has something to do with Vikings, see; the three triangles that are interlocked with one another, its called the valknut. Maybe Luna used to be interested in Norse mythology."

Izaya wasn't even sure if that information was relevant, what did that have to do with anything? Still, Shinra had gone through the effort of finding it for him, so he smiled and said, "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind. Just focus on getting your strength back." Then he turned to the other two with a smirk. "Time for school."

…..

They had expected something weird, like another symbol, or books flying around again. What they did see, was the kanji **murderer. **It was _everywhere. _All over the walls of the corridor, including Mr Tachigama's office door. In. Red. Ink. At least, they hoped it was ink. Luna was getting her message across all right, wanted everyone to know the truth. Either that, or someone had witnessed the scene and was reluctant to come forth, testifying without speaking. Izaya would bet money on the former, no human could have covered these walls in one short night this quickly.

"I apologise for dismissing your statement so quickly," Uwasaki said. "But this is getting out of hand, I'm truly worried for my student's safety. If you don't want to continue with the case I understand, but I'd really appreciate it."

Izaya's eyes scanned over the walls of the first corridor and then looked at the principle. "My advice is to send a quick notification email to all the students, telling them that the school is closed today."

Mr Uwasaki looked like he wanted to protest; but at this point he didn't have a choice, the man nodded. "I will do that."

"That's ridiculous!" they heard a shout come from the side of them, looking to see an angry Tachigama come storming toward them, his black shoes squeaking along the floor as he did so. "Are you going to listen to a bunch of barely high school teenagers?!" he said with a grit of his teeth. "If we close the school, then it will look like there's something to hide."

Izaya almost snorted at that, then he smirked and said, "Do you have something to hide, Mr Tachigama?" His two friends tensed immediately upon hearing Izaya's words, the raven was not going to just accuse him so bluntly, was he?

Tachigama glared at Izaya and calmed himself before he got really angry. "Of course not. But I am second in charge here, not you. I am here as Uwasaki's adviser, you're here to play your little ghost game, pretending that the school is actually haunted in order to get money."

Izaya clenched a fist unseen, he bit his tongue, because if he said something really over the mark, then he'd get them all in trouble and that wouldn't solve any of the remaining problems. "By now, you should know this isn't a joke. There have been several incidents now already to prove that."

Tachigama snorted. "Please. All these, "incidences" could have easily been created by you. I mean, you were here last night after all."

Shizuo gritted his teeth. "We didn't write on the damn walls! What kind of people do you think we are!?" Izaya cringed at Shizuo's voice, placing his hand up in front of the blond's face to try and get him to shut up. Shizuo understood the hint, that didn't mean he was happy about it, but he did calm himself regardless.

Tachigama narrowed his eyes at them. "If it were up to me, I'd have sent a request to ship you to a boarding school. Giving your parents the cold hard truth as to just how much of a damage you are to society."

Uwasaki snapped his head to his second, eyes narrowing slightly. "That's enough. Cool off. It's my decision, they are here to help us. We do not speak of children in such a way, even the troubled ones."

Tachigama seemed to tense and then bowed apologetically. "I am sorry. I don't know what came over me, maybe the stress is getting to me. Please excuse me." they watched him leave. Kadota blinked at the exchange, wondering how the hell Shizuo restrained himself from throwing him down the stairs.

Uwasaki smiled at them. "I am sorry about him. He's not always this aggressive toward students, especially ones that are guests; I admit, the stress of what's been happening really is getting to us. I hope you can help; I really do appreciate you returning, it shows dedication, despite previous mishaps."

Izaya nodded. "We'll do our best"

"Thank you. Feel free to use any resources that you might need. I'll be in my office."

And then Uwasaki left them alone. Izaya turned to his friends; without Shinra here, he felt obligated to be the one to take charge. "We'll bring in the equipment first. Then I want to analyse the data we picked up before the fire."

Kadota nodded. "At least the equipment wasn't damaged. The cameras are still working too, so there's some good news."

"What are we going to do to after?" Shizuo said, "I mean, Tachigama did murder her."

Izaya sighed, if only it were that simple. "Shizu-chan, we still don't know that for certain. This isn't a police investigation. We're paranormal investigators, there are certain rules we have to stick to, it's not as though we have any real evidence anyway. The police aren't going to waste their time on this, unless we find a piece of real solid proof, one that's not been revealed from a poltergeist occurrence or a spirit, then we can't go accusing someone just because. We're suppose to be here to exorcise the spirit and cleanse the school."

Izaya had a point, and it wasn't as though he wanted to switch professions or anything. "I get it. I was just wondering if what we figure out really does prove that Tachigama is responsible, what are we supposed to do then?"

"If it's true. And we have something to back it up, only then we can go to the police. But we have to do our job first. Either way, he's not going to get away with it."

Satisfied with the answer; Shizuo, Izaya and Kadota began to bring in their equipment to continue their investigation.

….

Without their forth member, it took them longer to set up. Shizuo and Kadota opted to set up the cameras in the library themselves this time, Izaya wondered whether what happened to Shinra and himself had put them on edge and they were subtly trying to protect him from further harm. Izaya didn't mind, he was used to his friends' protective nature, and given how so far only he and Shinra had been attacked since their group started this business, he didn't blame them. With the two of them setting up the equipment on both floors, it gave Izaya time to search through the data without distraction.

Izaya eventually found the audio feed that had recorded while he had been in Tachigama's office. He placed on the headset and tapped the enter key to play the feedback. There was loud static and then he heard the words, and they sent a shiver down his spine. Somehow in the chaos of what had happened, they had forgotten to mention this to him. "No wonder Shizu-chan is dead set on this murder thing. But that still doesn't mean it proves it's Tachigama." All of a sudden, the screen shut off, Izaya frowned. He reached over to try the monitor's switch and that's when he noticed the keyboard -

The keys –

They were moving –

By themselves.

Izaya then looked up at the black screen, only for it to reveal the message that was being typed on the keyboard.

'**MURDERER'**

Izaya's fingers hovered over the keys, he wasn't quite sure if it was a good idea to speak directly to the spirit. All they had learned from their experiences, it could just as well be someone completely different, someone that wasn't Luna. Izaya felt confident enough that in this case, it probably was Luna, but that didn't mean he had to risk conversing with her. This job was all about risks though, so Izaya typed back.

'**WHO?'**

'**TACHIGAMA'**

Izaya's eyes widened. "Shit"

A bloody handprint suddenly slapped over the screen, it startled Izaya so much that his chair tipped backwards, he fell, and his head hit the floor. The raven let out a small groan of pain before darkness invaded his vision and he blacked out.

_Izaya opened his eyes and found himself standing in front of Tachigama's office. Frowning, he reached out to twist the doorknob, noticing that the hand wasn't his own, but rather that of a girl. Without his control, he knocked on the door, opening it at the same time. "Mr Tachigama?" His voice sounded familiar, like he'd heard it somewhere before. _'Luna.'_ His subconscious mind was telling him. "Y-you wanted to see me?" Izaya had lived other people's memories before, yet this was the first time he truly felt fear, like he knew something bad was going to happen without having any knowledge of it, but he couldn't get himself to turn back, he had no control over the memory. Once he was in the room, he realised there was no one in it, frowning, he took another step forward and then -_

_Izaya's eyes widened as a cloth like material suddenly covered his mouth. Immediately bringing his hands to the one that covered him, scratching at the hand and trying desperately to pry it away. His struggles became panicked and he tried to elbow the person behind him, but his wrist was grabbed. Soon, his struggles lessened, and his eyes drooped closed and his body laxed. _

'_Hush little darling, don't say a word,'_

'_You won't ever wake up to the sound of birds,'_

'_And if you do, I promise one thing…..,'_

_Izaya opened his eyes slightly, his vision was blurry, but he didn't need to be fully conscious to know that he was outside somewhere. The blurry scene before him was moving, and he could feel the ground beneath him move too, an indication that he was being dragged. Looking ahead, he saw his feet in the grip of one who was dragging him, and then they stopped._

_Turning around, Izaya realised that his captor was clad in a mask and his vision cleared just enough to see the jacket his perpetrator was wearing, the sleeves were rolled up to reveal their arms. Given the build of the person before him, it most likely was a man. But Izaya didn't care about that right now, what he cared about was what was covering one of the forearm's. _

_His skin crawled as said man continued to hum the tune as he was dragged up, with no resistance on his part. And then - _

'_No one will be around to hear you sing.' _

_Izaya couldn't help but acknowledge that last word. Sing. Supposedly a play on word for Scream. Imagining that if he – or rather – she, woke up before he did what he wanted to do, that no one would be around to hear her scream for help. Forced to his feet, Izaya soon realised where he was, looking down from at least twenty feet above ground. They were on a roof, and most likely, the school roof. _

_Without a single warning; the raven's eyes widened as the ground below got closer -_

_And closer - _

_And - _

Izaya gasped and almost headbutted Shizuo in the face as he shot up in an attempt to save himself. Shizuo grasped his shoulders tightly and Izaya struggled. "Izaya! It's ok! it's me, calm down. It's just us."

Izaya frowned, he looked in front of him and realised that the voice was Shizuo's and he immediately relaxed. Upon seeing Kadota kneeling on the opposite side of him, he sighed in relief, a hand coming up to the back of his head, he should probably get it checked out after this was over. "Are you ok?" Kadota spoke, the two gently pulled Izaya to his feet and sat him down on a chair. "What happened? When we got back you were unconscious on the floor."

Izaya rubbed his forehead, he then looked up, suddenly remembering. "I, I spoke to the spirit…"

Shizuo narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean you spoke to it, spoke to it how?"

Izaya pointed at the computer. "A message typed. It said **Murderer. **I asked who, and it replied with **Tachigama.**"

"I knew it!"

Izaya rolled his eyes, wincing though, his head was throbbing. "It was right after I found the audio feedback from when I was in Tachigama's office."

Kadota hunched his shoulders. "Damn. I forgot all about that, what with the fire and all."

Izaya gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it Dota-chin. You had a good excuse," then his smile faded, and he was serious once more. "Anyway, afterward, there was – a hand, it was bloody…. It startled me so much that I fell off the chair, I must have hit my head pretty hard…"

Shizuo clenched his fists, he knew he shouldn't have left Izaya alone. The damn flea attracted the spirits way too much, he was supposed to be able to protect Izaya from things like this happening. Sensing Shizuo's distress, Izaya turned to him and smiled. "I'm fine" he said.

Shizuo sighed. "I know. Sorry."

Izaya shrugged, he thought about telling them about his dream, but given how Shizuo was reacting and how Kadota looked worried, it would only make it worse. So he chose to keep quiet for now, at the very least, that symbol Shinra found now had some significance. More importantly, if the murderer was wearing a mask, then Luna didn't really know who done it either. She was just guessing.

"You ok?"

Izaya blinked, he looked at Shizuo, realising that he'd spaced out and he chuckled. "I'm fine," he then stood up. "Let's do a sweep of the school, Shizu-chan can -" A loud scream interrupted him, and they dashed out of the room. Reaching the stairs, they soon halted, gasping loudly as they stared down at the unmoving body of Mr Tachigama. "Fuck."

Their eyes were just as wide as the man's that stared lifelessly back at them. "Damn it." Shizuo said. "This is – this can't be good." Now what?

Soon enough, Uwasaki came running down the corridor. "What happened!? I heard someone scream, are you kids all right?" He stopped when he saw their pale faces, stepping beside them, his eyes then widened, the name of his second coming out of his lips in a whisper of shock. "Tachigama…."


	20. Luna part 4

Flashing blue lights were once again attracting attention at the Shinjuku middle school. This time, police were called to the scene, as well as a coroner. The teens stood to one side after being questioned by the police, neither of them had been witness to Tachigama's death and they had no reason to bring them in for further questioning. The death wasn't completely unexpected, at least, not to the teens anyway. However, given the situation and the cause of death, the police suspected that it was just a horrible accident. Tachigama fell down the stairs and broke his neck.

Izaya stared over at the coroner's van, he couldn't help but feel relieved. He knew all about spirits that got their revenge, he'd been a victim of said revenge himself, when Gen Aoi from his own middle school shoved him down the stairs. _That could have happened to me. _He thought with a frown, he could have just as easily come off worse. He wondered though whether Gen's true purpose was to simply cause him harm and not kill him like he had originally thought. When he went back to school, everything went back to normal, and he never saw the ghost of Gen Aoi again. The point was, that Tachigama was dead now, and Luna's spirit would finally stop haunting the school. The raven frowned, Tachigama deserved what he got for murdering the girl in the first place, he should be satisfied that it was over. _Then why do I feel guilty? _

"He got what he deserved I guess." Shizuo said as they watched the coroner's van drive off with Tachigama's body.

Izaya didn't reply, just continued to frown after the van until it was out of sight.

"Maybe," Kadota replied. "But I still can't help but feel responsible somehow."

"The hell for? Luna took it upon herself to get revenge, she wanted to be at peace. He murdered her and so I think she had every right."

Kadota sighed, "Shizuo, we're not supposed to be happy about that; despite what he did, we're supposed to stop this sort of thing from happening. If we just let all the spirits take their revenge regardless of whether or not the person deserves it, we're no better than them."

Shizuo frowned, he knew what Kadota meant, but- Shizuo shook his head. "Sorry. But I can't help but feel relieved. She can rest in peace now."

Izaya gritted his teeth, he was feeling angry with himself and what Shizuo said wasn't helping. "Shizuo shut the hell up," he hissed, he stepped forward and turned to the blond who was gaping at him in surprise. "Don't you understand? We failed. We didn't exorcise the spirit at all! The only reason she won't haunt this place now, is because we took too long and now someone else is dead, because of us!"

Shizuo blinked, not quite sure where Izaya's outburst was coming from all of a sudden. "Izaya he -"

"We're supposed to prevent things like this from happening! We're supposed to cleanse the spirit, exorcise whatever is harmful, not help it kill people!"

Shizuo stared at Izaya's narrowed eyes and his defensive posture. _He's really angry. _

Uwasaki walked toward them with a smile, wondering whether he should even approach them since they seemed to be having quite the argument. "Sorry to interrupt, but the police want me to go with them to give a proper statement about Tachigama. Are you kids all right? do you need me to call anyone?"

Kadota shook his head. "We're ok, thanks Mr Uwasaki. Our equipment is still in the school, so we're just going to pack up, then we'll leave."

Uwasaki nodded. "Don't stay too long. it's still a crime scene at the moment. I'll let you boys know when it's ok to come back."

Shizuo turned his attention from Izaya to the principle, "You still want us to investigate?"

Uwasaki looked at him. "Despite Tachigama's accident. Whatever is wrong with the school still needs to be addressed, are you willing to continue to help?"

Izaya looked over at him, Uwasaki wasn't to know that the spirit- That Luna wasn't going to be haunting the school anymore. "Just call us when we're allowed to return." He told him, causing his friends to look at him in surprise.

Uwasaki nodded. "Thank you." And then he left.

"Why didn't you tell him that the spirit probably already left?" Shizuo said, still somewhat worked up from their last argument, and given Izaya's narrowed eyes, the raven was too.

"Because he doesn't know anything about what Tachigama did, therefore he wouldn't understand how we know that the spirit left already. We'll just simply tell him later that while we were putting away the equipment, we did a final check and found the spirit to be gone."

Kadota wasn't sure he liked the fact they were covering everything up; he agreed with Izaya that they had failed in their case, but he didn't think not saying anything at all was the right thing to do. He understood why Izaya was angry, and if he was honest, he was too; but even though Izaya possessed incredible abilities, it didn't give him the right to play with the truth when it suited him. "Even though Tachigama is dead, don't you think Luna's parent's deserve to know the truth?"

Izaya sneered at him, "That their daughter was murdered? And we know this based off some spiritual events and an accident? Care to share what evidence we're going to present?"

Kadota opened his mouth to reply but he stopped himself, because Izaya was right about that too.

Izaya watched as Kadota nodded and then made his way back into the school. He glanced at Shizuo who frowned at him and then followed after their friend. Izaya sighed, great, now Shizuo was angry with him, he hadn't meant to turn against the blond like that, but each of them had their own opinions it seemed, and neither one was probably right.

…..

Izaya lay awake, staring at his bedroom ceiling, hands tucked behind his head. He couldn't sleep, and how could he? Everything about the case told him something wasn't right still. But it was over, they knew that for sure; Kadota talked him into doing a final check with their equipment before they left, so at least that part was true. They found nothing.

Luna's spirit.

Was gone.

Izaya frowned, and yet he still felt that he was missing something. He shook his head. _Why am I dwelling on this? He really did get what he deserved after all. _The memories from his dream flashed through his mind -

The mask -

The tattoo -

Izaya's eyes widened and he sat up on the bed, there was only one thing that would put his mind to rest, that would allow him to get over this. Izaya got off the bed and took off his baggy clothing that he often wore for bed. He changed into a tight fitting black sleeved top, his school pants, and slipped his hands into a pair of gloves. Slipping on the shoes he sometimes wore for gym, he quietly opened his window, it was in the middle of the night after all, and he didn't want to wake anyone. _I'll be back before dawn anyway. _He thought to himself after slight hesitation. He gently opened his draw and took out a black leather case and tucked it between the hem of his pants. Smirking to himself, he pictured Shizuo's face every time he managed to hack into a certain system. The blond always told him about how illegal that was, Izaya used to think he was being dramatic, it wasn't as if he hacked into anything highly classified. Now though, what Izaya was about to do couldn't be brushed off just as easily, because he really was about to break the law. If he was caught, he really was done for.

Izaya climbed over the ledge of the window and quietly made his way down the trellis, grinning as another memory of Shizuo appearing from there a few days ago entered his mind. The blond would have a heart attack if he knew what Izaya had planned, the raven felt bad for how he'd left things between them at the school; once this was over, he could try and apologise, and hopefully Shizuo would forgive him.

Izaya stepped onto the grass and ran across the yard, opening the gate would make too much noise, so he climbed the fence instead. The morgue was at least an hour's walk from his house, and not all that far from the hospital either, so he'd have to be careful encase someone saw him, and decided he looked suspicious enough to follow. Izaya already knew that within the mortuary itself, there wasn't any camera's, since it breeched medical confidentiality; at least, he hoped that was still the case.

….

Izaya walked casually past the hospital, the car park's lights were still brightly shining over the road, even though it was late at night. There were a few parked cars scattered around, probably owned by the nurses and doctors who were unlucky enough to have a night shift. Izaya tried to avoid walking directly through the hospital's car park, opting to walk around the outer edge so that it would be harder for someone to spot him.

Izaya sighed in relief once the hospital became a smaller sight, looking back for a moment, he hesitated again, wondering whether this was such a good idea. Shaking his head, he continued, there was no point in turning back now, and if he didn't go, it just meant that this whole thing would never be over. Even if what he expected to find- or rather- to not find, was revealed, he couldn't tell anyone anyway, the point was that _he _knew.

There was a much smaller building up ahead of him, it looked like it only had one floor, and it seemed to be formed in the shape of an L. Both sides were of long length, and he saw the neon green entrance sign come into view as he stepped beside a low wall. Now that he knew which side was the entrance, he could make a good guess that the actual mortuary was toward the back. Not wanting to run the risk of being discovered by outside camera's, Izaya ran behind the low wall until he was sure he was far enough to the back as possible. He stopped and took a running start before jumping up and grabbing onto the edge of the wall. Izaya pulled himself up and sat himself on the top to catch his breath for a few minutes. He hadn't stopped since he left his house, and the fear of getting caught was nagging at him, making him feel more out of breath then he actually was.

Taking a deep breath he jumped the small distance, landing softly on the grass. With a sigh of relief, he saw that he was at the back of the building, and the low lighting emitting from the wall lights was enough to help him see. Running across the short distance of the field, Izaya scanned the edges quickly and ducked behind two large dumpsters. After another few minutes, Izaya made the climb up onto one of the bins, he really didn't want to think about what went into these, considering where he was. Almost chuckling, he dismissed the thought entirely, it wasn't as though they would have dead body parts in them, though the thought still freaked him out. Standing upright, Izaya tiptoed and peered into the window, darkness, that was a good sign. It meant that no one was working now. He took out his flick blade. A window like this one, had a small lock on the handle; he was prepared for any type, but this one was a lot easier to get into. It meant that he didn't have to use any of his pick-locking tools, he grinned, he'd just use the blade -

Twist the lock -

And voila!

Pocketing his knife, Izaya pulled the handle up and stepped backwards as the window opened outwards. Gently, he crawled inside and swung his legs and jumped, landing almost with perfect balance on the shiny smooth floor.

He was inside the morgue -

Now there really was no turning back.

"Ok," he whispered to himself, "Just find Mr Tachigama, look at his arms and leave." His heart was pounding in his chest, adrenaline pulsed through his veins as he began searching the names marked over the chillers. "This is morbid. I should not be this pumped over breaking into a morgue." He soon caught sight of a familiar name. "There you are," he reached up toward the handle, his hand hovering over it - "I shouldn't do this…" Before he could change his mind, he grabbed the handle and pulled hard against it, the chiller hissed, and cold air fogged out for a few seconds. Izaya shivered and waited for the icy fog to clear, he gulped, and his eyes roamed over the corpse of Mr Tachigama. There was bruising decorating his neck from the fall, but that wasn't why he was here. Feeling slightly nauseated, since this was his first time actually seeing a dead body up so close and _recent. _Izaya pulled back the white sheet that covered the body down to his low waist. Gently, and with a slight grimace, he checked both of Tachigama's arms -

No tattoo.

Izaya was almost sure -

"It wasn't him…." And now that Luna wasn't around anymore, there wouldn't be a way to communicate with her, she was at peace because she believed her killer to be Tachigama. Izaya knew this was a possibility, that the only reason he had come here, was to give himself peace of mind.

And yet -

Somehow, it hadn't.

"You were perverted. But- I guess you didn't deserve to die after all…." Izaya sighed and pulled the sheet back over and shut the chiller. A sudden noise caught his attention, and he watched as a light switched on from the corridor behind the door. "Shit." he looked at his watch, surely no one was around yet?

It was 5:00am,

Izaya had to get out of here, fast.

The raven ran over to the countertop and quickly climbed back up to the window, he quickly checked to see if he'd left anything behind. Satisfied, he lowered himself and balanced on the edge of a crevice in the wall and shut the window just as the door to the mortuary opened, and the light in the room switched on. Izaya sighed in relief, only for his heart to skip a beat, as the small slab of wall he was balanced on crumbled under his foot. The raven fell and a loud bang echoed as he hit the dumpster with a hiss and toppled off onto the gravel. Biting his lower lip, he crawled behind the bin and peered over as the window opened. Izaya ducked and held his breath, waiting….

"Damn cats." He heard someone mumble and then close the window back up.

Letting out the breath he was holding, Izaya stood up and ran for it, not willing to risk staying there any longer. Once he was over the wall, he stopped to catch his breath, slumping down. "Too close…."

Tiredly, he made his way back home, it took him longer to get back then it did to get there. By the time he slipped through his window, the sun was just poking it's damn head into the sky. Shutting his window, Izaya collapsed across the bed in exhaustion, he couldn't believe it, Tachigama was not the one that killed Luna after all.

He couldn't have closed his eyes for no more than an hour before the alarm on his phone went off, muffled by his pillow. Izaya groaned in dismay, now starting to regret that trip for an entirely different reason. He placed his arm over his face, blocking out the light and trying to ignore the forming headache he was getting due to lack of sleep.

He had to go back to school today, and he was extremely positive that he would fall asleep in his first class, he could just skip- but he needed someone to talk to, he couldn't keep what he'd found out to himself any longer, he couldn't keep his previous cognitive dream a secret.

Dragging his tired body up from the bed, he decided that the only one he wanted to talk to, the only one he usually told everything to, was Shinra. If he left now, he could go and see Shinra before heading off to school.

…..

"You broke into the morgue!?". Izaya flinched and quickly shut the door to Shinra's room. He had explained everything to Shinra, told him pieces of information that he had yet to reveal to the other two. He felt guilty about it, but at the same time, a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

"Shhh. Damn it, are you trying to get me caught?". Izaya took his seat again on the edge of Shinra's bed, he sighed and swiped a hand through his hair. Shinra could see that Izaya was exhausted, and he'd clearly been up most of the night with all that was on his mind- and his little trip. "We don't deserve the money Shinra…"

Shinra sat up and crawled over to sit next to his friend, he was supposed to be discharged today anyway. "What do you want to do?"

Izaya frowned down at the floor. "Uwasaki needs to know what we found. Even if he can't do anything about it, even if he didn't know about Tachigama to begin with,….I feel like he should know."

"Do you think that will help? Maybe, ….maybe leave out the murder part. You can always tell him that the reason you're not accepting the money is because you failed to exorcise the spirit, because it left on its own."

Izaya clenched his fists, suddenly aware of how Kadota and Shizuo had felt before, because they really were just covering it up then, wasn't they? "But, how does that solve the problem? That means that whoever did kill Luna, is getting away with it."

Shinra smiled, "You said it yourself Izaya, we're not the police. We're just ghost hunters, and even though we failed this time, our part in this is done. There's nothing more we can do; we simply don't have any real proof."

"I know. I know you're right….I just- I'm so angry with myself."

"Why?"

"Because of us, because we didn't finish our job in time - and someone died as a result."

Shinra frowned and nudged the raven, "Hey, don't go blaming yourself for that. Besides, it sounds to me like Luna believed it too, so she made the real mistake, not you."

Izaya looked at him, and a wave of guilt crashed down on him, because there _was_ something he was keeping from Shinra, and it had nothing to do with their job. Izaya wondered if now was a good time to tell him, they were alone, and things were calm. "Shinra, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about…."

Shinra tilted his head and chuckled, "Well that sounds more ominous then earlier, what's up?"

"I," then his phone rang. Sighing, he pulled his phone out, "It's a message. From Uwasaki."

"What's it say?"

"~Thank you for all your help. I have the rest of your payment if you want to come and collect it before school."

Shinra looked at him, "Izaya, it's up to you. I'll support your decision, and I think you'll find that Shizuo and Kadota will too."

Izaya knew that to be a fact. "Thank you"

"What about the deposit?"

Izaya shrugged, "It's a deposit for a reason. We didn't complete the job, but our time and effort should still be noticed. We did put ourselves at risk after all."

"Ok. So what was you going to tell me?"

Izaya blinked. "What?" 

"Before, you wanted to tell me something."

Izaya opened his mouth with all the intention of tell Shinra the truth about him and Shizuo, but something entirely different came out instead. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry, for what happened in the library."

Shinra sighed, "Is that all? You had me worried there for a minute. And don't blame yourself for that either, it wasn't your fault. It would have gotten both of us even if you had reached me in time."

Izaya gave him a tight smile. "What time do you get discharged?"

"My dad is picking me up around four."

"Then I'll come meet you."

Shinra nodded and smiled. "Ok," Izaya then turned for the door, only to be called back by his friend. "Izaya?" Izaya turned to face him. "It's the right decision."

"Thank you."

…..

Izaya reached the Shinjuku middle school, he yawned and was getting more tired with every step he took, he just wanted this day to be over, but it had barely even begun. Glancing up toward the entrance as he ascended the steps, he gasped lightly when Shizuo came into view. "Shizu-chan?"

Shizuo looked over at him from his leaning point against the wall. "Hey…"

"What are you doing here?" Izaya said as he made his way over once he'd reached the top.

"Shinra text and said you were going to tell Mr Uwasaki to keep the rest of the money. S'pretty admirable."

Izaya rolled his eyes, "We did nothing admirable here."

Shizuo gritted his teeth and then sighed, "Look. I didn't come here to argue with you, I wanted to meet you here so that we could talk, I- I wanted to apologise, I guess…."

Izaya raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"Just, you know- for kind of getting angry again, I should have sided with you."

Izaya shook his head. "Just because we're a couple Shizu-chan, you don't have to take my side, you have a right to an opinion, even if it's different to mine."

Shizuo frowned, "I still shouldn't have gotten so angry."

Izaya lay his hand over Shizuo's arm, "You were right Shizu-chan. I was wrong, nothing we can do about it now ne?"

Shizuo covered Izaya's hand with his. "We were both right."

Izaya smiled, "Let me just tell Mr Uwasaki about the money, then we can catch a train and head to school."

"Are you sure you wanna do that?"

"It's only fair."

Shizuo realised they wasn't talking about the same thing. "I was actually talking about going to school, I mean, you look exhausted."

Izaya gave him a small smile, yeah, he felt completely washed out, but he wondered if Shinra had told Shizuo about his little late night trip. _Probably not. _Because the blond would have freaked on him the moment he saw him at the school. "I'll be fine."

"That wasn't the slightest bit convincing. Why don't we get the train back to Ikebukuro, and then just hide out at my place? The bed is pretty comfortable," A grin appeared on Izaya's face and Shizuo blushed before yelling, "For sleeping!"

Izaya chuckled. Sleep. That sounded so very tempting. "Are you really suggesting to skip a school day?"

Shizuo rolled his eyes, he didn't think Izaya really had a problem with it, the raven was just teasing him as usual. "You skip classes all the time."

Izaya shrugged and then kissed him. "All right, we'll go to your place. Because I really am tired." A frown of concern etched onto Shizuo's face, but Izaya smiled and said, "Be right back."

Shizuo huffed as Izaya entered the school, he leaned back against the wall. "Damn flea," he found himself smiling. "Turning me into mush with that stupid kiss of his."

…..

"….That's why it wouldn't be fair to accept the money, and if Tachigama's accident was the same kind of incident like that of the student from the library, then I guess we really did fail." Izaya said as he stood in front of Uwasaki who was seated behind a classroom desk, on the second floor.

Uwasaki looked at him with surprise. "I see, but you know, the spirit did leave, didn't it?"

"Yes. It did."

"Then maybe you really did do something to drive the spirit away."

Izaya shook his head. "I don't think that's the case. So, in my honest opinion, the rest of the money isn't acceptable."

Uwasaki smiled. "You are truly professional; you'll go far Mr Orihara. Good luck in your future."

Izaya nodded, "Thank you sir." And then he made his way toward the door, leaving the principle to continue shuffling and grading his papers.

Izaya's hand froze over the door frame the minute he opened it, his heart skipped a beat and he felt his blood run cold. _That tune. _Izaya turned slowly around, Uwasaki wasn't even aware that he was still here, just continued grading papers, humming that damn tune! Izaya felt his palms begin to sweat, and before he could stop himself, he whispered, "It was you…"

Uwasaki looked up at him then, tilting his head. "Something wrong?" He then mistook Izaya's expression and laughed. "Don't mind me, I often sing to my little boy before he goes to sleep. Sometimes, the songs just get stuck in my head, silly right?"

Izaya couldn't believe it, it was him all along -

It was Uwasaki.

The man stood up with a frown. "Are you ok? you look so pale, maybe you should sit down." Izaya couldn't get himself to move, he was in too much shock, unable to comprehend what he'd just figured out. The raven flinched ever so slightly when he realised that Uwasaki was right in front of him, and he still couldn't move his damn legs. "I should send for the nurse; she'll be in now." He said as he placed his hand over the door, opting to go for help on Izaya's behalf.

And that's when Izaya saw it -

The tattoo. The three interlocked triangles.

Izaya's breathing started to pick up and he tried so hard not to let it show. He needed to get out of here before Uwasaki realised that Izaya knew what he'd done.

The principle followed Izaya's line of sight and smiled. "Had this tattoo for a while. Pretty cool huh, it's called valknut, Norse mythology. You interested in that sort of thing?"

_That's it, just keep talking casually like I'm not on to you. _Izaya couldn't stop his legs from wobbling, he tried to shrug it off and before he could attempt to leave with a hearty goodbye, Uwasaki's eyes narrowed and Izaya knew. _I'm fucking done for. _Izaya flinched when the door was suddenly slammed shut by the man's hand. Izaya's own slipped casually into his pocket, reaching for his knife. Before he had a chance to use it, his shoulders were grabbed and the man's knee struck him hard in the stomach, knocking all the air out of him. Izaya's eyes screwed shut and he felt himself being flung across the classroom, he crashed into a few of the desks before skidding across the floor.

"Should have left sooner boy! I'm truly impressed that you figured it out, how did you do that by the way? There was certainly no evidence that would point to me. I thought I'd be safe, because after all, Tachigama created this mess in the first place, didn't he."

Izaya's eyes widened as he pushed himself to stand up. "You knew…."

"About how he fell in love with Luna and made a move on her? Yes I did."

Izaya frowned. "She came to you for help, and you -"

Uwasaki just grinned. "I couldn't very well have a story like that get out, now could I. That would have been a disaster. I evidently saved myself, the school and Tachigama's career."

Izaya backed up against another desk, his flick blade now in his hand, hidden behind him, just waiting….waiting to strike. "I'm sure he didn't see it that way."

Uwasaki laughed. "Well he didn't know, as far as he was aware, Luna committed suicide before she could tell anyone. And perhaps he felt bad, looking like he was the reason why. Oh well, what doesn't kill him- Ha! Well, I guess it did."

Izaya's grip tightened on the knife, gritting his teeth.

"And now the same thing is going to happen to you. How does this sound. Dear Mum and dad, and my friends. I truly regret not being able to save Mr Tachigama from the spirit that was haunting the school. I couldn't cope with the pressure of being responsible for such a dangerous job. I can no longer live with the struggle of this life; I hope you can understand. I'm sorry, forgive me. Izaya Orihara," Uwasaki smirked. "Good right?"

All of Izaya's determination had left him, the reality of what the asshole in front of him had done- It made him feel sick, he was shaking. _He wrote a suicide note for her. _Izaya didn't realise his grip had loosened on his knife until it fell to the floor with a clink. Izaya glanced down and kicked it to the side, stopping Uwasaki from retrieving it himself. The man glared and grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him up; Izaya pulled back his fist and smashed it into Uwasaki's face. With a howl, the man let him go and the raven dashed for the door, only to find it locked. Izaya frowned and tried to pull it. _How? _He heard a laugh behind him and turned to see Uwasaki dangling a key as he held part of his face with the other hand.

"You were in such a state of shock, that you didn't even see me lock the door, did you?" Uwasaki walked toward him and kicked a desk, Izaya jumped out of the way and ran behind the much larger desk. He dashed across the classroom and jumped across a table, skidding across it and knelt down to grab his knife. Spinning around, Izaya shoved the knife into Uwasaki's hand just as it reached for his throat. The man screamed and stumbled backwards, falling over a chair.

Izaya glanced at the window and he suddenly remembered. _Shizu-chan! _He was out there, wasn't he? With new determination, Izaya heaved a chair up from the floor and threw it with all his strength at the window.

Shizuo snapped his head up when glass suddenly shattered above him, eyes widening as a chair came flying from it and splintered apart on the ground. "What the hell!?". Shizuo frowned, he didn't know why there was a chair being thrown from a window, but it gave him a bad feeling. "Damn it." He then ran into the school, taking a mental note of the room's location.

Izaya panted heavily from exhaustion, he was sure that got Shizuo's attention, and the blond would know he was in trouble. Izaya turned around, expecting Uwasaki to at least be crouched on the floor. His eyes widened when that wasn't the case, no, the man had taken the knife out of his hand already and was on him in a second. Izaya tried to dodge him, but he was so tired, he wasn't fast enough -

A sharp pain sliced through him and he collapsed with a breathless gasp of agony.

Uwasaki sighed in annoyance, he hadn't expected Izaya to be this capable, now his plan of suicide wouldn't work. "Well, I'll just have to kill you and burn your body." The door to the room broke from its hinges, splitting in two; the man jumped and looked over in horror to see the blond teen gritting his teeth in anger. "Now then….just- just take it easy."

Clenching his fists, Shizuo picked up a desk with little effort and stalked toward the man now cowering in fear, he didn't need an explanation to know what was going on, his instincts flared, and he soon saw the knife in Uwasaki's hand. "You bastard!" But before he could throw the desk -

"I won't be going to jail! Not today!"

Shizuo sneered. "You keep telling yourself that."

Uwasaki grinned. "Not today… not ever." And before Shizuo could knock him straight out with the desk, he watched in horror as the man ran, took a leap and jumped from the broken window.

Shizuo ran over and stared down at the fallen body, blood splattered the pavement below, he grimaced. "Shit…" He was pulled from his nausea when a light groan of pain caught his attention. Throwing the desk to the side, he skidded beside the raven. "Izaya!" Gently, he rolled him over, Izaya hissed and Shizuo could see the blood covering most of his hand as Izaya cradled his wound. "Izaya! Talk to me!"

Izaya's eyes fluttered open and he smiled weakly, "H-hey…Shizu-chan…."

Shizuo gritted his teeth, frowning deeply. "Don't move! You're going to be fine…."

Izaya winced and tried not to move like Shizuo said, he could feel his shirt sticking to his side and it fucking hurt. "Shizu-chan…my side….feels wet."

Shizuo frowned. "It's ok. you're fine. You'll be fine, I'll call an ambulance and they'll," he took note of the blood and helped Izaya put some pressure on it, causing the raven to hiss. "You'll be all right." He repeated, and Izaya didn't miss the change of sentence.

"It's…bad…right? don't…don't lie to me."

Shizuo shook his head. "No. I told you, you're fine…"

Izaya frowned, he could feel it, the blood…. That's why his side was wet, why his shirt was clinging to him. "Shizu-chan…"

"No damn it! I told you! Now shut up!" The raven watched Shizuo take out his phone and call the ambulance, Shizuo yelled everything down the phone at the poor person unfortunate enough to take his call. Izaya couldn't help but smile. "Tsk. What are you smiling at?" Shizuo said after hanging up, hoping it might keep Izaya's mind off the wound if he acted normal. Like everything would be ok, because it was going to be ok….it was.

"That poor operator…"

Shizuo huffed a laugh, if Izaya was making a joke, he couldn't be that bad, right? Shizuo then frowned, the raven's eyes began to slowly close. "Oi! Stay awake! Izaya! Stay with me!"

Izaya's eyes opened for a moment. "Sorry….I'm just- so tired…." And then they were closed again.

A wave of panic swept over him, Shizuo clenched his fist. "Izaya! Wake up! Stay with me!"

….

Izaya opened his eyes to a dimly lit room, the only source of light was that coming from the lamp beside him. He caught the faint sound of a constant bleeping noise and frowned in confusion. _Where am I? _A sigh of relief caught his attention and a delicate hand wrapped around his as he looked into the crying eyes of his mother.

"Oh sweetheart… you're awake, we were so worried."

Izaya didn't know what had happened to him, but he got the feeling it must have been bad. Seeing the room more clearly, he realised he must be in hospital. "W't… happened?"

His mother smiled at him and kissed his forehead. "Shh. It's ok, just rest. You'll be all right."

Izaya frowned at the familiar words, and he then remembered. "Shizu-chan…?"

A hand came up to stroke his face. "He called the ambulance, and he rode with you all the way here. He hasn't left your side you know. He's in the waiting room, along with Shinra and Kadota, you're friends are very attentive."

Izaya opened his mouth to correct her statement, because if it weren't for Shizuo, he wouldn't be here now. "Shizu-chan is," _Not just my friend. _But he couldn't find the courage to tell her. "Yeah, they are."

"We were so worried, when we got the call- Your father and I rushed over right away. Mairu and Kururi are with him at the moment in the cafeteria."

"I'm sorry…."

"Shhh. Don't worry about it for now. The doctor said that with all the blood loss, your injury might have been mistaken for a stab wound, because the cut was deep enough."

Izaya sighed, so he hadn't been stabbed? It certainly felt like it, and Shizuo was panicking so much….. "Mom..?"

"What is it?"

"Did they find….," Seeing her son frown, she had a feeling what he wanted to ask.

"They did. And thanks to you, that girl's parents learnt the truth about what really happened."

Izaya's eyes widened. "How did you…"

Kyouko smiled. "Shizuo made a statement after talking to the police. They searched his house and found chloroform and a mask, they also found several handwritten suicide notes, looked like he had practiced to get her writing perfect."

Izaya shuddered at hearing that, that bastard had the nerve to tell him his own to his face! "I, I'm sorry."

"I've got a wonderful son, brave, respectful and isn't afraid to take risks in order to do what's right. You're my little hero Izaya, I love you."

Izaya was surprised that she didn't even get mad, was she not even the least bit curious about why the hell he had even gotten involved with all this? He was too tired to really worry about it now anyway, he smiled at her as she kissed his forehead. "Love you too…"

Kyouko smiled. "Get some rest"

…

Izaya sat himself up with a little grunt of pain, his door was open for now, since it was visiting hours anyway, and his friends had come to visit. Again. Shizuo rushed over to help, placing the food he'd gotten down on the table. "Oi, I thought you weren't supposed to move much yet."

Izaya huffed, while he appreciated Shizuo's concern, he was getting annoyed. Izaya couldn't do anything without him turning into a worried mess. "Shizu-chan…I'm fine, I was just sitting up, that's all."

Shizuo caught the slight snippiness of Izaya's tone and stepped away. "Sorry. Maybe I should leave you to rest."

Izaya rolled his eyes. "Don't get defensive. I just don't need your help twenty four seven, it's kind of smothering. I get it enough from my mother," Shizuo avoided his gaze and Izaya sighed, he then patted the bed. "Come sit with me. I want you to stay…"

Shizuo looked up at him. "I was just worried -"

Izaya tilted his head with a smile. "I know. It's ok." He patted the bed once more and then asked, "Shinra and Dota-chin?"

Shizuo sat on the edge of the bed, mindful of the IV tube that was connected to Izaya's hand. "Getting food. Be up in a minute."

Izaya curled his finger and Shizuo leaned forward, with his other hand, he lightly grabbed hold of the blond's shirt. "Kiss me…" Shizuo smiled and gently pressed his lips to Izaya's, leaning his weight on his palm so that he didn't fall forward. They pulled away and Izaya chuckled as Shizuo licked his lips. The raven turned to the door and his eyes widened, Shizuo frowned at the sudden change and was about to ask what was wrong and then Izaya spoke again, his tone a whisper of surprise. "Shinra…"

At hearing their friend's name, Shizuo turned his attention to the door, his mouth agape.

Shinra dropped the cup of coffee he was holding, the two from the bed could see the hurtful expression on his face before he ran off.

Shizuo turned to look at Izaya, who looked back at him in dismay, both cursing in unison. "Shit."

**A/N: I'm debating whether or not to continue with this story. **

**Hmmm, your thoughts?**


	21. Impass

**So, thanks to everyone's wonderful comments and support, I am continuing! My love for this fic has been restored, thank you everyone so much! I am even thinking about a sequel soon :).**

**Anyways, here is chapter 21, I hope you enjoy.**

Shizuo and Izaya blinked in surprise, the reality of what they had done seeping into theirs. Shinra had seen them, and neither one expected to feel this guilty. Before Izaya could say something, or react the way he had planned, it seemed like Shizuo had beaten him to it, because in the next moment –

"Shinra!" Shizuo was up and out of the room before Izaya could even lift his hand to stop him.

Loud footsteps were echoing across the corridor, followed by another set close behind, through the waiting room, past the reception and out into the setting sun. "Shinra please wait!" Shizuo said again, and this time he was surprised to find that Shinra did. The two slowed down until they stopped completely, a few feet away from each other. Shizuo expected him to turn and scream at him, shout, curse; all the things that the blond knew he deserved. He wasn't going to say something cliché like – "We didn't want you to find out this way." Because while that was the truth, he felt Shinra deserved better. This was a boy that had confessed his feelings without a single fear, no, they weren't even just feelings were they? Shizuo had been aware that Shinra had fallen in love with Izaya, and the boy confessed, only to be rejected. They got past it; their friendship too strong to allow them to part ways so quickly. Now though, Shizuo felt as if he had drove another wedge in between them, all because he himself had done exactly the same thing. Except –

Izaya had accepted him.

Because Izaya felt the same way as he did.

At least Shizuo hoped he did, considering they had been dating for at least four months now. Shizuo chewed his lip, four months, they had kept their relationship a secret for four months, not even Kadota knew, and suddenly there was guilt again. Izaya and Shizuo had mainly done it because of Shinra, because they knew how the boy would feel. Izaya wasn't sure if Shinra still felt that way about him, he wanted to be sure, because you couldn't stop loving someone in such a short time. They really hadn't meant for Shinra to find out like this, and now their fun secret was out. It had been fun, to hide their relationship, exciting even, as Shizuo recalled climbing up the trellis of Izaya's back yard early in the morning. Subtle touches under the table at school, hidden make-out sessions on the roof. Now that was over.

Shizuo felt a knot within his chest, a sudden thought occurred to him, that maybe Izaya was just fond of the secrecy, rather then what was between them. Was their relationship merely a physical one? Thinking about all those times Izaya would use his advances to his silence him, had they even once held a conversation without him turning it into a kissing frenzy? Shizuo shook his head, now was not the time to feel insecure about his and Izaya's relationship like some teenage girl. This was about Shinra, and how he might be feeling now, if there was a way to salvage the friendship between them. Shizuo didn't care if Shinra hated him now, as long as he and Izaya's friendship remained.

"I knew," Shizuo blinked, realising the words hadn't come from his own mouth, but that of Shinra's. What did he just say? "I don't know how, but I knew. Not right away, but I had a strong feeling about it, about you and Izaya. I mean, one minute you were fighting and not even talking to each other, and the next, you were fine, better then fine. I just, I had a feeling that one day you would – be like this."

Shizuo didn't know what to say, Shinra was calmer then he expected, whether that was a good thing or not, he didn't know. "It – we haven't been together like this for long."

Shinra finally turned to him, and Shizuo didn't need to be good at reading people to know what kind of expression Shinra was wearing right now.

He looked betrayed.

But he was smiling. A sad smile.

"But long enough, right?"

Shizuo sighed, rubbing the back of his head, Shinra was too calm and Shizuo didn't know how to deal with it, mainly because he hadn't expected it. "Four months." Shizuo cringed, that was probably not what Shinra wanted to hear, but no taking it back now.

"Do you care about him?"

Shizuo snorted, what kind of question was that – "Of course I do." Shizuo didn't even need to think about that.

"Does he care about you?" Seriously? What was with all the questions suddenly?

"I guess. He said he does." That was true. Back in the van. Izaya had said that, hadn't he? That he cared about him. Suddenly all fears of their relationship being just physical were squashed down and locked away.

Shinra looked at him, a somewhat frown on his face. "Do you love him?"

Shizuo could have choked on the air if he wasn't so surprised by the question. That was bold. They weren't ready for something like that, their relationship wasn't that far along, Shizuo wouldn't even recognise the feeling if it even came up. Izaya was his first relationship after all, and he was pretty certain that he was Izaya's too. They were barely both sixteen. Who's to say that this wasn't just a simple high school, _romance. _Too much. Too fast. "We're not there yet. It's not like that right now. We care about each other, that's enough."

Shinra nodded, somehow that made him feel better, not the fact they had yet to declare any love, but rather Shizuo's honesty. "What about – have you, erm…."

Shizuo's eyes widened. Jesus fucking Christ! "No! God no! Why would you even ask me that!" Shizuo was only shouting because he was quite sure that he would die of embarrassment at any moment.

"Well that was rather aggressive. I'm not sure whether I should feel offended by that." Neither of them had spoken just then, which only meant –

Both Shizuo and Shinra turned around to see –

Of course, Izaya.

"Izaya! What the hell," Shizuo said as he approached, followed by Shinra. "You are not supposed to be out of bed. More importantly, how did you even get past all the nurses?" Izaya wasn't sure whether he liked the fact that, not only did he have Shinra to fuss over him, but Shizuo too, who was even worse. The blond worried about him way too much, but, he didn't hate it. Izaya chuckled, but leaned back against the wall of flowerbeds, because he wasn't sure he could remain standing much longer at the moment. Honestly, he had just come out here encase either one of them was about to kill the other. Damn, he felt a little lightheaded actually; the stupidity of his spontaneous actions catching up to him way too fast. Shizuo was by his side, concern etching it's way onto his face when he noticed how pale Izaya had gone. Izaya's hand found it's way over Shizuo's arm, latching onto it as if that was his only support barrier. "Idiot." Shizuo frowned at him and then lifted him, wrapping his arm around Izaya's waist to support him.

Izaya looked at Shinra, trying to ignore whatever pain was making itself known, he also didn't have the heart to tell Shizuo that his hand was brushing against his stitches and it was extremely uncomfortable. Because if Shizuo removed his hand, Izaya was quite sure he'd just fall over. "I'm sorry."

Shinra blinked at him, and he suddenly felt guilty for reacting the way he had done. He huffed a laugh, it didn't look like a joke, or something fleeting that would disappear after a while. With the way Shizuo was holding Izaya, so protectively, it made him rather happy. But Shinra knew Izaya could freak out on occasion, so he just hoped their feelings were on mutual par. Shinra stepped to the other side of his friend, clasping his elbow. "I'm sorry I freaked. It really was kind of a shock to be honest."

Izaya felt relief wash over him. Either that, or it was the beginning of a fever. Izaya chuckled. "Couldn't have been that shocked if you already had a feeling about us."

Both Shinra and Shizuo looked at him in surprise. Shizuo almost blushed and said, "How long were you even standing there?"

Izaya looked at him with a grin, "Long enough." Shizuo tensed. "Relax. I think you described our situation quite well. It's good to know that we're on the same level, Shizu-chan."

Shizuo glanced away, still embarrassed at being overheard, but at the same time, relieved that Izaya felt the same way.

"Oh and Shinra?" Izaya spoke again, causing the bespectacled boy to look at him. "The day Shizu-chan and I decide to – _go all the way, _let it be known that you will not be told." Izaya grinned at him as Shinra blushed. "Honestly, why would you really even want to know that? or is it something for you to think about while you're alone~"

Shizuo's eyes widened. "All right! that's it, we're getting you back inside. Damn it"

Izaya chuckled. "Aww. Shizu-chan is embarrassed!"

Shizuo gritted his teeth. He and Shinra then led the fever stricken raven back into the hospital. Ignoring his continued rambles on whereabouts their physical relationship was currently. In all honesty, Shizuo preferred it when Izaya was stubborn while having a fever, like when they were at the orphanage; not this talkative- letting out secrets- kind of fever.

….

**Three weeks later.**

Shizuo shifted in the tangle of covers. Warmth spread throughout his body, and it wasn't because of the gleaming sun that was bouncing off from the window behind him. Opening his eyes, trying to blink away the sleep, he tried to sit up, but realised something was weighing against his legs. Frowning, he looked to his left – no Izaya. remembering that he was in the raven's bedroom after sneaking in last night through his window, there was only one logical explanation – that would explain his absence, and the weight between himself. Slowly, Shizuo pulled back the covers and almost gasped at the sight. Izaya grinned up at him then, noticing that Shizuo was awake and that his ministrations had been effective in doing so. Shizuo felt his throat close up for a second, not too sure if what he saw, was what he really thought. "Um….Izaya?" His voice was almost a whisper.

Izaya looked at him with the most innocent expression he could muster. And didn't that just make the situation worse. "Yes, Shizu-chan?"

Damn it. Shizuo tensed under that expression Izaya was giving him. He was all too aware of the position the raven was in, and just where his mouth was hovering, along with his fingers. "What are you doing?" as if he really needed to ask – but he did, clarification was key at this point, because he could be entirely wrong.

Izaya grinned again, innocent expression entirely gone from his face. "Waking you up."

Shizuo raised an eyebrow then. "I can see that. Were the other ways just not that effective?" He tried so hard not to think about what Izaya had been doing before he woke up, but damn it, his body was remembering and clearly craving more.

"Oh. I didn't try. This proved to be _very _effective." Shizuo's whole body stiffened at the words, he wasn't even sure if what Izaya was doing was right. Sure, they had been a lot more intimate since their friends knew about them now, but this was not in the mix. They had only just started to get comfortable enough to wake up together, maybe with a little less clothing on – but they hadn't gone this far, and Izaya was just -

"Izaya, this is dangerous territory here." Shizuo cringed, dangerous territory, who the hell says that?!

Izaya chuckled though, he obviously found it more amusing then Shizuo expected. "Don't worry~ I've a pretty good idea what I'm doing."

Shizuo gaped at him, that was not what he meant. Was Izaya really going to – and in his own fucking bedroom, while his parent's _and _his sisters were in the house?

"Relax. No one is home. I checked. My parent's are at work, and my sisters are at a friend's house."

Shizuo chewed his lip, not sure if that made him feel any better about this. "Izaya – are you sure we should - " A groan suddenly escaped his mouth, cutting off the sentence he had wanted to say when Izaya's fingers slowly trailed up his length. "Shit."

Izaya chuckled. "Well that was a complimented reaction. It's much better when I can hear you voice your pleasure, rather than just see it."

Shizuo frowned at him and then laughed. "That didn't exactly sound good you know."

Izaya laughed too. "I know. Realised that after I said it. Heh." Izaya moved his hand again, slowly, testing Shizuo's reaction, wondering if he really didn't want this. Izaya wasn't going to continue if the blond was too uncomfortable, or too embarrassed. A moan was all he received though, and Izaya grinned. "I guess that answers my thoughts."

Shizuo opened his eyes and looked at him. "What?"

Izaya's grin widened. "You want it."

Shizuo blushed, wondering where the hell Izaya got his confidence from. "Shut up."

Izaya chuckled and gently moved his short nails up the shaft. Shizuo bucked slightly. "That's not a very nice thing to say to someone that's about to take care of your morning predicament. Shizu-chan~" Now Izaya was making jokes. How could he be so damn collected, especially when he was about to – Shizuo then groaned when he felt those fingers wrap around him - do _that. _Izaya moved his hand up and down, stroking him at a pace that was just right. not too quick, yet not agonisingly slow.

"Izaya - " Shizuo breathed out.

Izaya caressed him, trailing his fingers over the head and dipping his finger in just a little bit into the hole. Shizuo moaned appreciatively, bucking again and clenching his fists around the covers. This only spurred Izaya's bold actions on, causing him to become even more daring. Seeing that reaction, he wanted to explore more of it, to see what he could do that would cause Shizuo to become a begging mess. Licking his lips, he brought his mouth down over the head of his cock and _sucked. _Shizuo froze when he felt warmth spread over him, the impulse of Izaya's moves were not a failure, the blond almost thrust. Izaya grinned around his cock and his tongue darted out, began to swirl around him, pushing against the head and then – he brought his mouth further down. Shizuo moaned loudly when Izaya took him further. Izaya pulled back and took a breath before going down on him again, further still. He sucked, licked and then gave a hum, sending the vibrations straight through Shizuo. Izaya's other hand started to caress his balls, fingertips kneading them and ghosting up his shaft as his mouth continued to move up and down on him. "Shizu-chan…." Izaya managed to say, and god….. he was hard himself. His erection throbbed each time he took Shizuo in, damn.

Shizuo groaned as Izaya slowed his mouth to ghost over his head, letting his tongue flick across, Shizuo suddenly thrust and Izaya almost pulled back completely. "…Sorry.." The blond mumbled quickly, Izaya relaxed with a chuckle. He wrapped his hand around his length and began taking him faster, more daring, sucking harder. "Shit…" Izaya could feel him tense, knowing Shizuo was close – and he himself was –

Then Shizuo moaned loudly and said, "Izaya….I – I'm coming…," And Shizuo gripped the sheets as Izaya pulled back a little and prepared himself, he couldn't help but grind against the bed, against Shizuo's leg when he heard the blond's voice. "Coming!" Shizuo released himself, bucking and writhing, and Izaya swallowed and then pulled back as the rest of Shizuo's orgasm hit his chin and over his chest. Izaya released a gasp of surprise and for a second Shizuo thought it was because of the unexpected – he had warned him right? and then he saw Izaya's face and blinked in surprise. Izaya gritted his teeth and panted for breath and then collapsed against him. Shizuo's head hit the pillow, still catching his own breath, not quite sure what happened, and not ready to question it. "Fuck…"

Shizuo caught his breath, sitting up slightly as Izaya moved over him, wiping his mouth. Then Shizuo realised, and his hand moved in between them – "Shall I- " Izaya laughed nervously, batting Shizuo's hand away from him.

"No need. I came already…"

Shizuo's mouth fell open into an O. and the realisation that Izaya's expression just now – Sucking him off had brought Izaya to climax as well. Huh. "Well…..We've never done that before."

Izaya laughed louder. Looking up at him with a slightly dazed expression. "Hm…, how was it for you?"

Shizuo almost rolled his eyes, he didn't need to inflate Izaya's ego anymore. But – "Hot." He couldn't lie, what they had done was certainly not what Shizuo would call – clean. But it certainly was hot.

"Why thank you." Izaya grinned and brought his lips down on Shizuo's before he could make any protest about just where his mouth had been. Shizuo pushed against him, but something of a moan came out instead of the annoyed grunt he was hoping for.

Shizuo looked at him when he pulled away, arms coming up to caress Izaya's arms. "Good morning."

Izaya smiled. "Good morning indeed~"

…

**Two months later.**

Shinra and Kadota shared a worried glance, their two friends were acting strange. Shizuo glanced up at Izaya every now and then, while the raven simply avoided his gaze all together, picking at his sushi as he leaned up against the wall opposite them. "Something going on?" Shinra asked, and this caused Shizuo and Izaya to tense. "Guys?

Kadota raised an eyebrow when neither one replied, Shizuo was frowning and stabbing a piece of salmon like he wanted to murder it. Izaya looked like he wanted to bolt.

"It's nothing…" Izaya said, finding his voice.

Shizuo glared at him then, that poor salmon once again feeling his rage. "Oh right. I forgot. Of course, it's nothing."

Shinra and Kadota wondered what the hell had gotten into them. Usually by now, the two had either disappeared to do who knows what, or Izaya was taking a nap with his head comfortable on Shizuo's lap. Now, they weren't even sitting next to one another, completely opposite actually, and quite literally. Izaya sighed in annoyance. "Now is not the time Shizuo." The raven was hostile. Hearing Shizuo's correct name, they knew whatever had happened was serious enough.

Shizuo snapped the chopstick between his fingers. "Was there ever going to _be _a right time?"

Izaya's eyes narrowed and he stood up. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Shizuo followed, standing up, clenching his fists. "A real relationship is physical_ and _emotional, and I'm only now starting to realise that you only wanted the former."

Izaya's eyes widened for a second and then he frowned. "You form one relationship and suddenly you're an expert?"

Shizuo glared at him. "I wasn't the one to bolt after hearing three fucking words!"

Izaya flinched. Shizuo said it like it was no big deal, but it clearly was a big deal, in Shizuo's eyes at least. "Tch. One, it was two words and a letter, but someone as simple minded as you wouldn't notice that; secondly, I didn't bolt, you did."

Shizuo gritted his teeth. "That's because you told me to! You're so afraid of your own feelings that you run away at the first sign of something true!"

Izaya narrowed his eyes and then did just that – he ran.

The other two watched him run off and disappear from the roof. Shizuo sighed with a slump of his shoulders, he turned around only to meet the surprised expressions of his friends. "You don't need to say it. I fucked up; I know."

Shinra tilted his head, expressing sympathy. "What happened Shizuo?"

Kadota knew exactly what had happened, it was kind of obvious from the way the two were arguing. "Correct me if I'm wrong….but you said something that freaked him out, didn't you?"

Shizuo blinked at him, wondering if Kadota had actually figured it out. "Yes. I don't know why I said it, but it just felt right. I looked at him and – that's when I felt it, something I've never felt before, it was the only explanation I could think of."

Shinra's eyes widened, having concluded what Shizuo was on about. "You told Izaya that you loved him!?"

Shizuo frowned. Why was that such a bad thing? They'd been together almost eight months, known each other for over a year – why was everyone acting like it was a horrible thing? Shizuo nodded.

"Why did you say that?"

Shizuo was even more confused. "What do you mean, 'why did I say that,' I said it because it's true!" Shizuo almost blushed, it felt a little weirder to admit it to his friends.

Shinra sighed. "Izaya is a flight risk. Seriously, you probably freaked him out. Stuff like this worries him."

Shizuo inclined his head up, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess I should know that. I mean, he did run off the first time I kissed him,"

Shinra smiled. "And then you got together right?" The blond nodded. "So don't get discouraged or anything. Maybe you said it too soon?"

Shizuo chewed his lip as he glanced down at the ground. "Or maybe he just doesn't feel the same way." The blond then left them without another word.

Kadota watched him leave and then turned to Shinra. "Wow. That was a little unexpected. To be honest, I didn't think either of them would say something like that."

Shinra shook his head. From the moment he found out about them at the hospital, Shinra could see it in Shizuo's eyes, he knew that what Shizuo had said was a lie, because he knew what it looked like. Shinra had often looked at Izaya with the same look as the one Shizuo gave him. Shinra smiled though. "Neither did I." He lied. He had tried to give Shizuo a hint, when he'd asked him whether or not he loved him. After hearing the reply, despite being untrue, he was sure Shizuo wouldn't say anything.

….

Waiting until all of the students and their teacher were gone from the classroom, Shizuo then grabbed Izaya's hand, stopping him from leaving. "Izaya, can we talk?" At first, Shizuo thought that the raven was just going to run again after letting his hand go. Instead, Izaya sighed and turned around, meeting the blond's gaze. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it, I guess."

Izaya placed his hands in his pockets. "It's not that you said it, it's the fact that you were _ready_. I – Shizu-chan you sounded so sure, and I panicked."

Shizuo stepped forward and reached for Izaya's hand. "But, It's true. Izaya I lov- "

Izaya yanked his hand back. "No! stop that! Shizuo, I am not ready for this, it's not fair that you can say, and I can't!"

Shizuo frowned, his hand falling to his side. "What do you mean? you're not ready to say it, you don't feel that way, or what."

"I don't know! I- maybe it's both. I don't know how I feel…" Izaya averted his gaze.

Shizuo nodded. "Ok. I'm sorry. I take it back or something, we can just go back to how it was before."

Izaya shook his head. "No. We can't. I- don't know if I will ever feel that way – and you said it, and now I'm left with this pressure….that I don't want to hurt you, so - "

Shizuo's eyes widened. "What does that mean?"

Izaya looked up at him, and Shizuo didn't miss the sparkle of tears in the raven's eyes. "You deserve better. I'm sorry…" And before Shizuo could stop him, Izaya ran out of the classroom.

Shizuo clenched his fists. Glaring at the floor, though his vision was clouded. Kadota then chose that moment to walk into the classroom.

"Hey. Ready to go?" Kadota asked. He then frowned. "Something wrong? Where's Izaya, did he leave already?"

"Yes."

"Did he go home?"

Shizuo wasn't willing to look at him, he just clenched his fists tighter. "Don't know. But, I think we just broke up."

Kadota gaped at him and stepped forward. "Oh. Damn. Shizuo, I'm sorry man."

Shizuo sighed. "He said that he wasn't ready and that he might not ever feel the same, and that I deserved better. Then he apologised and- and then he left."

Kadota didn't know what to say, he knew the situation wasn't right, but he didn't think the two would break up. "I didn't expect that,"

Shizuo huffed a laugh, but Kadota could tell that he was hurting. "Neither did I."

"Listen. Why don't you come over to mine, we can talk or play games- "

Shizuo smiled but shook his head. "S'fine. I just wanna be alone. But thanks."

Kadota nodded and Shizuo walked out of the classroom.

….

Izaya opened the front door of his house. Immediately wiping away the tears he didn't want anybody to see. "I'm home~" he sang, masking his hurt with a cheerful voice. His sisters came bounding into the corridor and he smiled at them, they froze. Izaya held his arms out, waiting for them to throw themselves at him. "Mairu, Kururi?"

Mairu tilted her head and said in a low voice, "What's wrong Iz-nii?"

Izaya gave her a small laugh. "What do you mean? nothing's wrong."

Kururi nodded. "Iz-nii sad…."

Izaya smiled. "Am I?"

Mairu and Kururi looked at one another and then ran toward him, hugging him tightly. "It'll be ok. Nissan."

Izaya knelt down, wrapping his arms around them. "Nothing gets past you two, does it?" Izaya swallowed, his eyes glistening slightly as he held them both tighter. They couldn't know what was wrong, but they knew he was sad, and he could never hide that from them. The twins might be young, but they wasn't stupid. The two pulled away and Izaya smiled. "Thank you, I needed that,"

Just then, his mother poked her head out of the living room. He looked up at her and stood up, hoping she hadn't noticed his sad expression, he smiled. "Sorry I'm a little late." He told her, and from the way she was looking at him, he got the feeling that he was in trouble. "Something wrong?"

Kyouko shook her head and waved him into the living room. "Your father and I want to talk to you about something."

Izaya tilted his head, that didn't sound good. "A-Alright…" he then turned to his sisters and said, "When I've finished, we'll play pretend ok?" Their smiles brightened and they ran off up the stairs. Izaya followed his mother into the room where his dad was seated on the couch. Shirou smiled and gestured for Izaya to sit on the armchair opposite him. Izaya did so as Kyouko took her seat back next to her husband.

"Izaya. We need to tell you something."

Izaya raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to tell me that I'm adopted or something?" He huffed a laugh, but when they didn't respond right away his smile faded. "Am I?" His eyes widened in panic.

Kyouko shuffled off the couch quickly and took his hands. "No! sweetie no! You're our son. That's not it at all."

Izaya sighed in relief, though now he felt kind of silly for saying it. "All right. Then what is it? I'm starting to worry." Kyouko looked back at her husband and Izaya followed her sight. "Father?"

Shirou rubbed his face and sighed. "We want you to stop taking those paranormal jobs."

Izaya frowned, how did they know about that? "What do you mean?"

Kyouko smiled. "We're not mad. We sort of figured it out when you were in the hospital. Sweetie, it's too dangerous and- "

Izaya sat back a little. "I know it is. But we're serious, it's turning into a business, we have camera's now and- "

"It's not just the danger. We're proud of you, for wanting to start your own business. But I really must protest. We feel, we think you should stop."

Izaya frowned. "Is this because I almost got stabbed? Because that doesn't happen usually- " he cringed, that probably wasn't the best way to convince them. "Besides, Shizu-chan was- " Izaya closed his mouth, chewing his lip, the mentioning of the blond's name sent a stabbing pain in his heart. He didn't even know what they were going to do now that he and Shizuo were broken up, would the blond even still want to continue to be part of it? Would he still be able to rely on Shizuo's protection against the spirits? Would Shizuo even want to protect him? "He was there…." Izaya said, feeling an emptiness inside his chest. "He- he's always there…" Izaya clenched a fist, trying his hardest not to let his emotions show.

"I know. You've gotten some great friends Izaya, but it's still too dangerous. There's- there's a reason that might make you reconsider."

Izaya tensed, why did he not like the sound of that? "Ok?"

Shirou sighed and said, "You remember you told us about the time you used a Ouija board?" Izaya gulped, wondering why they were bringing this up now. He nodded. "Well. There was a reason why we weren't too angry with you."

Izaya raised an eyebrow and then chuckled. "I thought it was because you were just cool parents."

Kyouko shook her head but rolled her eyes. "Don't get smart. We're trying to be serious here." She then looked back at Shirou. "Continue dear."

Shirou nodded. "Izaya, before we found out that we were expecting a child, expecting you; we- we did Ouija boarding ourselves."

Izaya's eyes widened a fraction. "What?"

"It's true. We were young and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. We asked a bunch of odd questions, and then- the planchette started to move on its own."

Izaya rolled his eyes. "That's not- "

But they weren't done with their story. "It spelt a word out- **pregnant.** Four days later, your mother found out she was pregnant, already two months along."

Izaya stilled. They had- they had used a Ouija board- while she was already pregnant with him. Did that mean, that him being able to see spirits wasn't just because he had messed with a board himself? Had that just been a coincidence? Like it would have happened regardless or whether he did or not. "I- are you kidding me?" Izaya frowned, standing up, hands balled into fists. "You used a fucking Ouija board while pregnant!?"

Shirou frowned. "Watch that language Izaya!"

"Fuck no! you- you just- " Izaya laughed sardonically. "I can't believe it. Well, it's no wonder that all the spirits and demons are always attracted to me! I could still believe that I can see them because I used one. But now, now this makes a lot more sense too." Izaya was pacing now, he was angry, no, he was fuming.

"Izaya, I know you're mad and I understand that but- wait, did you say spirits are attracted to you?"

Izaya laughed again. "Yes. I can see them, and they _like _me, thanks to you; I've been shoved down the stairs; suffocated inside a coffin; I've almost drowned; I've been mauled by a demonic dog, and lastly, I almost burnt to death! That's right, there's the danger right there. The fucking cold reality to what you caused me. I might have gotten myself into trouble at the same time, but the fact that the spirits attack me all the time, is on you!" Izaya couldn't stop himself, he was so distraught, and now the tears were falling from his face and he didn't even care.

Kyouko stared at him, her expression one of hurt, she had no idea that what they'd done had caused Izaya any misfortune. "Izaya- I'm so sorry sweetheart- "

Izaya gritted his teeth. "You had me thinking that all of this was because of what I did! Only now to tell me that part of it was your fault! How could you keep something like this from me?"

Shirou knew his son was angry, but he wasn't going to tolerate Izaya's yelling like this. "Izaya! calm down right now!"

Izaya span around, eyes glaring. "Don't you think I have a right to be angry!? Is that what you're worried about? Am I not acting like the good son you think I am?" Izaya laughed. "Well sorry, you're not the parents I thought you were either!"

Kyouko stood up to reach out for him. "Please- Izaya, I'm so sorry."

Izaya chewed his lip and choked back a sob before a sardonic smile came over his face. "Oh! By the way, Shizuo and I were in a relationship, he told me that he loved me, and I pushed him away. We broke up just now! we broke up and then you tell me that I've been cursed by a board! Perfect fucking timing!"

Kyouko and Shirou were shocked, they didn't know how to take the extra news. His mother tried to reach for him again and he backed away, eyes still watering. "Izaya- "

Izaya's breathing was heavy, he didn't ever remember shouting so much, he wasn't even sure he could be this angry. His parent's had always been there for him- and now –

He broke up with Shizuo –

He didn't even think he could confide in Shinra this time –

Izaya was alone, for the first time in a long while, he was alone. "I have to get out of here." Kyouko and Shirou moved to stop him, but Izaya had already ran up the stairs.

Izaya was shoving items in a rucksack when his little sisters padded into the room. He spared them a glance and continued his task.

"Iz-nii? What are you doing?" Mairu asked.

Izaya frowned as he grabbed his wallet off the side. "Leaving." He simply said and shouldered the bag that had been stuffed with clothes and travel cosmetics.

"But- you can't leave, we'll miss you too much."

Izaya stopped for a second, glancing back at them. "You're better off without me." He then made his way to his window and yanked it open.

"No!" Mairu and Kururi ran over to him, grasping at his legs. "Don't go Iz-nii!"

Izaya sighed and pried their hands off him. "It's for the best. I need to be alone right now. Be good ok?" Izaya climbed up onto the window ledge and smiled at his sisters before making his way down the trellis.

"We're supposed to play pretend!" Mairu shouted as tears streamed down her face, Kururi sobbing next to her.

…..

Shinra walked into the school, his friends were still by their lockers- at least two of them were. He sighed as he walked toward them, turning to open his own locker. "No sign of him?"

Kadota shook his head. "No, it's been two days already. I asked around, and no one has seen him at all."

Shizuo slammed the door of his locker and stormed off up the stairs.

"What a mess," Shinra said and then looked back at Kadota. "I don't think Izaya would skip school like this just because of what happened between him and Shizuo."

Kadota frowned. "Do you think something else happened?"

Shinra nodded. "We should go over to his house. If he's not answering our texts or avoiding us by not coming to school, then we'll just go over there and pry it out of him."

Kadota blinked at the harshness. "You think that's going to work?"

"He responds a lot better to persistence. We're not going to give him a choice."

"If you say so."

…

Shinra, Kadota and Shizuo stared in shock at the woman on the doorstep. They had all decided to go to Izaya's house after school ended, because they were worried about him. Shizuo didn't know if he should have, but he needed to know if Izaya was ok; he had tried to send him a few messages, tried to call him, but he hadn't gotten any replies. Now, now he was even more worried than before –

Izaya had run away from home.

Kyouko swallowed back her tears and gave them a smile. "He got extremely angry after we discussed a few things. He left two days ago. Even though I know he's mad, I know he's ok. Izaya still sends me a text every day, nothing warming, just- enough to reassure me," Kyouko showed them her phone, showed them the messages, it was repeated, but once daily.

'I'm ok.'

"I think it's to reassure his sisters more then us. But I'm grateful anyway."

Shinra glanced at his friends and then back at Kyouko. "Please….please let us know if you hear anything. I'll search for him in the meantime."

Kyouko nodded. "I will do. You have been such good friend's to him, I have to thank you for that." Shinra smiled and then walked away, his friends following. "Shizuo?" she called. Shizuo turned around after hearing his name. "Him running away isn't your fault."

Shizuo blinked in surprise. "Um….I don't- "

Kyouko gave him a sad smile. "I know you told Izaya that you love him. But him running away isn't because of that." Shizuo paled, what the hell; had Izaya really just told his parents about them. "I'm just sorry that my son is so stubborn. You're a good kid Shizuo, and I appreciate you looking out for him all this time."

Shizuo didn't know how to react to that, what had caused Izaya to tell his parent's all of a sudden? Was it out of anger, did he tell them accidently? Shizuo merely nodded and then quickly walked away.

Shinra jogged up next to him. "Shizuo? Are you ok?"

Shizuo didn't reply, he just kept on walking and before Shinra could follow any further, Kadota grabbed his arm. "Leave him. I think he wants to be alone Shinra."

Shinra sighed.

**Four days later.**

Shinra, Kadota and Shizuo walked out of the school gates, they had to walk partially the same way home. Shizuo was quiet, and he had been for some time, because the missing member of their group- was still missing. They had no idea where he was, or if he really was ok.

Shizuo wasn't so sure he was convinced that the reason for Izaya's disappearance, wasn't entirely his fault. It sounded like Izaya and his parent's had had a massive argument, which probably was part of the reason, but Shizuo would be willing to bet that he was the cause of it too. How had it gone so wrong, so quick. He hadn't said I love you just casually, he truly meant it, but- Izaya didn't reciprocate, and Shizuo felt like an idiot for ruining the best thing that had happened to him since he arrived at the school.

Shinra frowned. He was Izaya's best friend, he needed to be there for him, but he didn't know where the hell he was! He spared a glance over at the abandoned building, their first ghost hunting experience. It seemed like a lifetime ago since they were there, it had been only the three of them back then- him, Kadota and Izaya; why did it feel like things were simpler back then? Now everything was so complicated, he supposed that they were just growing up, experiencing situations other than their interest in the paranormal. There would be a lot more to come later on in their lives, but Shinra felt as though they had lived the worst of them already.

His eyes widened. Shinra wasn't sure, but an instinctive feeling came over him. He looked over at his friends who had continued to walk on while he had stopped. "Um. I just," he started to call, they turned around. "I remembered I left my book back in class. You guys go ahead, I'll see you tomorrow."

Kadota shrugged. "We'll wait for you."

Shinra vigorously shook his head. "No! I mean, no, it's fine. I'll catch you at school tomorrow." He laughed nervously and then ran back toward the school.

Shizuo and Kadota stared after him, the blond turned to carry on walking. "Well that was odd." Kadota said as he followed.

"He is odd." Shizuo replied.

Shinra peeked around the corner, having ducked behind the fence, waiting for them to turn the corner down the street. He then ran back down the pathway and stopped at the familiar wired fence. Taking a deep breath, Shinra climbed up and then down the other side.

The place was no longer plagued by spirits. But the building still sent a chill up his spine, he just wondered why the hell Izaya would choose this of all places to hide out, because that was what his gut was telling him, Izaya was here. "He has to be." Shinra muttered to himself as he opened the door.

Shinra stepped into the building, flinching as the floorboards creaked with every other step he took. "Izaya?" Shinra whispered and made his way through the first corridor, peering into the rooms, Izaya may have chosen to stay here, but Shinra knew he wasn't stupid. Upstairs would be too unstable to rely on that for a temporary bedsit.

"How did you know I was here?"

The voice startled him, Shinra span around and gasped in fright. "Izaya! you scared the crap of me!"

Izaya didn't respond, he just frowned, waiting for Shinra to reply to his question.

But Shinra was too happy to see him, he ran over and wrapped his arms around him. "Izaya! thank god!"

Izaya sighed in annoyance and shoved him off. "Shinra. What are you doing here? how did you know I was even here? I didn't tell anyone."

Shinra's grip tightened on Izaya's arms. "Izaya. I've been worried sick about you. I was walking home just now and- I don't why, I just felt like this was where you were- I'm sorry, but I had to know you were really ok."

Izaya looked at his friend, biting his lower lip. "Shinra I- "

Shinra frowned, he could see so much hurt in his friend's eyes. "What happened?"

Izaya huffed a laugh. "You really want to know?"

Shinra nodded. "I do. Tell me Izaya."

…..

Shinra had listened to his friend tell him about what he had been told when he got home. Izaya told him about his breakup with Shizuo, only to then come home and find out that his parent's had kept an important secret from him his whole life.

They were sat on the bed that Izaya had been using to sleep in. Shinra glanced over at the raven, watching him as he held his head in his hands. "What do I do now Shinra. How am I supposed to go home and face them?"

Shinra frowned. "Izaya, you didn't do anything wrong."

Izaya lifted his head, looking at the far wall. "You don't think I overreacted?"

"No way. You had every right to be as angry as you were." Shinra sighed and tightened his grip on the mattress. "I just- I wished you came to me. I really was worried that something had happened to you."

Izaya smiled and then his expression became sad, eyes glistening as he said, "What about Shizu-chan? Did I mess up?"

Shinra shook his head. "Shizuo is a good person, and a great friend. But, if you really didn't feel the same, or if you weren't ready for all of that yet, then I don't think you were wrong to break up with him if that's how you felt." Izaya looked at him, Shinra smiled. "What?"

Izaya's breath quickened, all of his emotions, all of his anger- Izaya leaned forward so quickly that Shinra didn't have time to stop him. Izaya pressed his lips to Shinra's in a desperate kiss.

Shinra's eyes widened and he pushed against Izaya's shoulders. "Izaya wait- what are you doing?"

Izaya pushed against him so that Shinra lay across the bed. "Isn't this what wanted?" he said and then leaned down to kiss him again, Shinra hummed a yes and then pushed him back.

"Izaya no- not like this, I know you're hurting right now, and I want to be here for you. But not like this, it's not fair to either of us."

Izaya then sat up as though Shinra had burned him. "Shit. Shinra- I'm sorry,"

Shinra reached out to him. "Izaya it's ok- "

Izaya pulled away. "No it's not. Just go, please."

Shinra frowned and shuffled over to him. "I'm not leaving you."

Izaya looked at him, tears of anger catching Shinra off guard. "It. fucking. Hurts. Shinra. I- " Izaya turned his head and ran over to the draw, he grabbed his flick blade and placed it against his wrist -

Shinra had never moved so quickly, he reached Izaya and grabbed his hand. "Izaya no!"

Izaya's breathing was heavy, tears running down his face. "It hurts! I don't know what to do anymore!" Shinra wrapped his arms around him, and Izaya collapsed to the floor taking Shinra with him. "Shinra…" Izaya grasped his arm and sobbed into his chest. "Please…make it stop hurting…"

Shinra's heart broke for his friend, and he shook with the fear of what might have happened if he hadn't have come here. "I'm here. I'm here Izaya."

Izaya lifted his head, his cheeks stained with tears, he slowly pressed his lips against Shinra's again. "Stay with me, Shinra."

Shinra frowned, this was a bad idea. So bad- he knew Izaya would regret this in the morning, and he found himself speaking without thinking. "Don't do anything you'll regret Izaya."

Izaya swallowed and then smiled, he pressed his lips hard against Shinra's. "We won't go all the way, I guess.."

Shinra nodded and then Izaya pushed him to the floor. Shinra knew whatever they did from here, was going to be a mistake anyway, Izaya was vulnerable, he was hurting and not thinking straight- but Shinra didn't want to leave him alone. Shinra gasped when Izaya nipped and kissed his neck, his jaw and then his lips, all the while removing both their clothing in less then a minute. Izaya's actions were fast, his hands were everywhere, his mouth kissed down his chest and Shinra moaned when a tongue licked across his nipples. Izaya grinded against him and panted at the friction, he pulled Shinra up and shoved on the bed. Izaya gasped when Shinra's hand reached out and touched him, wrapped around him. "Ngh…Shinra." Izaya's back hit the wall and Shinra straddled him, leaning down to kiss him on the lips. He stroked Izaya fast and the raven threw his head back in pleasure. "Not yet." Izaya said and shoved Shinra backwards, pressing his body to him. "Come with me." And Izaya moved against him, causing them both to gasp.

"Izaya….Oh…that feels good…"

Izaya grinned and began pushing against him, grinding their bodies with hard movements. Izaya moaned and lifted himself up with his elbows, Shinra gasped and groaned as Izaya continued his thrusting against his hard cock. The friction creating breathless pants and sweat poured from their face from their repetitive actions. Izaya didn't slow down, he was desperate for release and- he wrapped his hand around Shinra's cock, stroking him fast.

"Izaya! I'm – I'm gonna come….oh god Yessss!" Izaya grinned and then let go, Shinra groaned at the prevention, but then Izaya leaned over him again. Kissing him, sucking his neck as he grinded hard against him. "Izaya….I need to come…now."

Izaya thrust against him and gritted his teeth as he tensed. "Shinra….I'm- coming…" Izaya cried out as he came, panting hard.

Shinra arched up and released his own orgasm and they both collapsed. Shinra's hand came up and stroked Izaya's back. "You ok?"

Izaya panted heavily, turning his head away, laying on Shinra's chest, his face full of guilt. Izaya chewed his lip as he just nodded a reply.

_What have I done?_


	22. The trip

**AN: So sorry to have kept you all waiting! **

**I hope it was worth the wait.**

Shinra groaned as he shifted in the covers, he turned his head tiredly to the side, eyes opened groggily. He turned over on his back, letting out a short breath and turned his head to the side, smiling as he did so -

His smile faded though, he sat up in the bed, covering himself with the duvet when he remembered that he was - in fact, naked. His eyes roamed around the unfamiliar room -

That's right, he was in that building wasn't he, the abandoned one, the previously haunted one. Shinra frowned, because he hadn't been alone, he hadn't fallen asleep alone, of that he was sure of. The previous warmth that radiated off him during the night was a reminder of that, and yet -

"Izaya?"

Izaya was gone.

His belongings were gone.

His switchblade was gone.

It was almost as if he was never there to begin with.

Shinra shook his head, it couldn't have been a dream this time, Izaya was here!

Wasn't he?

Shinra sighed, smiling despite the sadness in his heart.

Yes, Izaya was here, but Shinra was a fool to think that he'd still be here when he woke up.

Not after what they did.

There would be no chance of finding Izaya again now, the raven would make sure of that.

...

Shinra almost gasped in surprise –

Because the very next day –

Shinra blinked as he stood in the doorway of his homeroom, there he was, in his usual seat -

There was Izaya.

Shinra rushed over to him, Izaya looked up at him with mild surprise and then something akin to guilt flashed across his face. "Izaya? you're back at school?"

Izaya looked around himself, as if to make it a sure point that Shinra was being stupidly obvious, before saying, "Looks that way to me."

Shinra tilted his head and then crouched beside him. "Does that mean you went back home?"

Izaya frowned. "No. What makes you think I would ever go back there?"

Shinra nodded and then sighed. "Where did you go?"

Izaya turned his attention to the front, eyes casting over to the doorway when he spotted Shizuo and Kadota enter the classroom. "That's not your business. I'm fine, so don't worry."

Shinra frowned, not his business? Izaya had almost slit his wrist yesterday, and if he weren't there, Izaya might have -

Damn right it was his business!

Shinra was trying not to get angry as he said, "I thought something happened."

Izaya turned to him, his eyes narrowed. "_Nothing_ happened. Nothing at all. Yesterday was a mistake, on my part mostly, I admit that. But you knew that already, didn't you? otherwise you wouldn't have told me not to do anything I'd regret. So, in a way, we both made the mistake. Nothing happened. You knew I'd regret it and you were still fine to continue; I knew I'd regret it but merely took advantage of the situation."

Shinra's eyes widened. "Izaya... I - what we did - did it not mean anything?"

Izaya almost laughed. But he couldn't, he simply couldn't. He hadn't been himself since Shizuo had said those three words - oh, one letter, two words - that's what he told the blond after all. "You should not have looked for me. I did not want to bring you into this, so that's on you. I wasn't myself yesterday, you knew that too, you knew that what we did wouldn't mean a damn thing, if you thought otherwise then that's not my fault. I let things continue because I thought that you could handle it, I guess I was wrong, I'm sorry for that. But it didn't mean anything, nothing happened, end of discussion. I'm here only because I need the grades."

Shinra clenched his fists. He knew that wasn't entirely true, Izaya was already a top student, and he excelled in all the subjects. "What about... what about the business?"

Izaya shrugged. "You'll get by without me. The equipment will be enough to see you through a case, and then you'll get enough experience and gain what you need to take on better cases in the future."

Shinra's fists shook, he knew that what they had done was a regret, he had known from the start, that it wouldn't mean a thing -

But it still hurt.

"Izaya - are we not-"

And just then, Kadota and Shizuo had made their way over quickly, Shizuo was frowning, well, glaring at the raven. Izaya turned his head to meet their gazes. Kadota was the first to ask, surprised to even see him here. "Izaya, you're back?"

Izaya nodded. "I'm here only for the education, everything else is moot now."

Kadota raised an eyebrow quizzically. "What do you mean by that?"

Shinra frowned and clenched his fists tighter. "He quit the business."

Shizuo slammed his fist on the desk and pulled Izaya up by his shirt. "How can you be that selfish!? If you're quitting because of us, why does everyone else have to suffer!?"

Izaya snorted, frowning. "That's not even it, you don't know what you're talking about Shizuo. There are more important reasons then you, so that makes you the selfish one here."

Shizuo pulled him closer. "What does that mean!?"

Izaya's eyes glanced over at Shinra and the bespectacled boy blinked at him for a second, wondering if there was some hidden message displaying in his eyes. He was obviously not going to tell Shizuo about his and Izaya's encounter yesterday; so, was he talking about the issue with his parents?

Shinra then realized -

Izaya was quitting because of what his parents had said to him. That had to be the reason, right?

Then again, everything had become incredibly awkward between them all; Izaya and Shizuo weren't even acting like friends anymore -

And he and Izaya? They had made the biggest mistake, and it caused them their whole friendship, probably.

He wouldn't be surprised if that really was the whole reason Izaya was quitting.

"Answer me flea!"

Izaya turned his attention back to Shizuo, almost flinching at the nickname, spat with such anger...

Izaya couldn't stand to see the hurt in the blond's eyes, despite his anger, Izaya could see beyond that. _I'm not even worth feeling hurt over_. _Shizu-chan and Shinra, they should just_ \- Izaya then grinned. "Because I don't care. I don't care about you, about the work, I don't care. I never wanted to do this in the first place, it was just something to pass the time, to get some money together so I could leave. See? I used everyone to my advantage." With every word he spoke, Izaya could see Shizuo get angrier and angrier. Izaya glanced up at Kadota; him too, though Izaya knew he was trying to figure him out. He didn't care what Kadota thought, he glanced at Shinra for a moment and then back at Shizuo, it was only them –

_Now for the final blow. _"And just to get your amoeba brain to understand, our relationship didn't mean as much to me as I thought. Turns out, I didn't care about that either," Izaya stood up when Shizuo finally let him go, the blond was no longer angry it seemed, but a deep frown was etched onto his face. He was too shocked to spiral into the fit of rage he wanted to; Izaya shrugged. "It was only physical after all," Izaya turned to Shinra. "Right, Shinra?"

Shinra froze, did Izaya just –

Shinra frowned, hands clenched and then glanced over as Shizuo and Kadota were looking at him with a questioning gaze. Shinra shook his head. "N-no…. that's not-"

Shizuo blinked in confusion, because what Izaya had said just now –

Couldn't be what he thought it was, right?

Did Izaya and Shinra –

Kadota looked between them all, he could only think of one possible conclusion, but saying it out loud was only going to make things worse, he wasn't sure how long Shizuo's temper was going to last.

Shizuo narrowed his eyes, it finally clicked in his brain. "Physical huh. So you really didn't care who it was with, you'd have taken any offer, but since Shinra was convenient at the time I guess, you took advantage of him because you knew how he felt about you."

Izaya's grin dropped slightly, because he hadn't expected Shizuo to put it into words like that. And fuck it hurt. He wasn't like that, he really wasn't…. Shizuo might as well have called him a slut. Shizuo didn't know what he was feeling, what he had been feeling, he sought Shinra's embrace _because _it was him. He wouldn't have done that with just anyone, he was sure of it! But now that Shizuo had said it, he was beginning to question that. But the blond had no idea what happened! He didn't know the reasons! He didn't know that if Shinra didn't show up, he would have –

He would have –

Ended it all.

No. this was what he wanted now; he couldn't allow Shizuo to see how much those words affected him.

_Shinra and Shizu-chan, should just hate me. Because I deserve it. _

Izaya shrugged and smirked. "Pretty much. Yes, that's exactly it."

Shizuo gritted his teeth, fists clenched, his eyes shone with hate and then darted over at Shinra, when they then flashed with something else entirely, betrayal.

Shinra looked at him, Shizuo gave him the look he himself had given when he'd first found out about Shizuo and Izaya. This was different though, because he and Izaya weren't ever a couple to begin with.

Shizuo and Izaya however –

"Shizuo…. I'm sorry."

Shizuo clenched his fists tighter, glaring between the two. "You deserve each other." And then he stormed out of the classroom, the teacher looked around at him as he walked into the room, barely able to call Shizuo's name as the blond disappeared.

Izaya shoved his hands in his pockets, to try and stop them from shaking. There was no turning back now, he had lost everything; his friends, his partner, his family…. There was no one left….

He was completely alone.

Shinra couldn't believe Izaya had told Shizuo, just like that! Without any shred of guilt. "I guess you finally got what you wanted, you got me to leave you alone."

Izaya looked at him, he wanted to take back his words, he really did, he opened his mouth to say something – but he closed it before he could do so, nothing he said would be enough, so why bother. He watched Shinra walk away from him, it would be for the last time, wouldn't it? Not even _he _would give him another chance, not after this. Izaya looked up at Kadota, the brunet was glaring at him.

"Proud of yourself?"

Izaya almost flinched, no he wasn't proud, not one damn bit. But they'd get over it, they would hate him for sure now, it was all he deserved –

His life was a joke –

He was messed up, and he didn't want to bring those he cared about down with him.

_I really screwed up. _

….

Shinra sat on the edge of the roof, his legs dangling down; for the first time in over a year, he was sat by himself, eating his lunch alone. Shinra glanced down at his bento box, biting his lower lip as he stared at the fatty tuna – untouched. Shinra knew he should be mad at him, angry, and should never want to see him again. "I should just forget about him…. He doesn't care, he wants this after all, he-" Shinra frowned, and suddenly, the thought confused him for a moment, Izaya wanted this….

Shinra's frown deepened.

Why?

Why did he want this, why now?

Why did he want everyone to hate him?

Shinra's eyes widened –

Because if everyone hated him, then no one would care.

The image of Izaya raising that damn blade to his skin, back in the building – if he hadn't of been there –

"_It – fucking – hurts Shinra. I-" Izaya turned his head and ran over to the draw, he grabbed his flick blade and placed it against his wrist - _

_Shinra had never moved so quickly, he reached Izaya and grabbed his hand. "Izaya no!" _

_Izaya's breathing was heavy, tears running down his face. "It hurts! I don't know what to do anymore!" Shinra wrapped his arms around him, and Izaya collapsed to the floor taking Shinra with him. "Shinra…" Izaya grasped his arm and sobbed into his chest. "Please…make it stop hurting…"_

Shinra shook his head, no, Izaya wouldn't do that, he wouldn't!

Izaya had been at school for the entire week, so there was that. But today –

He wasn't.

No one had spoken to him, Shizuo avoided him like the plague, and Kadota – well, he wasn't sure how he felt about everything, but he had stuck by Shizuo ever since, he hadn't spoken to him either.

Shinra hated what he had done, how could he have betrayed Shizuo like that! But the worst part, was how Izaya had told him, just told him – Shinra was mad for that, extremely mad, but –

He didn't think Izaya's intention was to get them mad at him too, because they hadn't spoken or hung around him either. Izaya's only intention then, was to get everyone to hate him, not Shinra, and why?

Shinra knew Izaya, better than anyone, and he couldn't figure it out! It was driving him crazy, why, why did he do that!

"Why…." Shinra gripped the bento and then threw it off the rooftop. "Why dammit!"

That look –

The one that Izaya sent him, right before he told Shizuo, Shinra couldn't place it at the time, there was something though, something in his eyes. Guilt, shame and – and vanquished, he had given up.

"Why did you do that…. why Izaya…" Shinra gasped, hadn't he done something like this before? Back when Shizuo had thought he'd told those students a trusted secret? Izaya took the blame, even though it wasn't his fault, because why bother telling the truth? This wasn't quite the same, but Shinra had figured something else about Izaya that day; anytime he done something wrong, he had this weird roundabout way of accepting any rebuke, even if he had to create that in the first place. Shinra's eyes split wider. "Because he knows he deserves it…."

Izaya said what he said, to cause those around him to hate him, because it was the only way he felt that he deserved. Izaya couldn't stand everyone forgiving him so easily, he couldn't stand the pity, he responded to the anger much better than anything else.

Shinra clenched his fists, couldn't believe it had taken him this long to understand.

Shinra got up from the edge, he had to find him! He had to find Izaya!

The bespectacled boy spun around and started to run –

But then he froze.

Someone stood in front of him, just blocking the way to the exit, well, not just someone, three.

The middle one grinned and said, "Well, seems like your, 'friends' have finally come to their senses. I knew they'd get tired of you eventually, figure out what a loser you are."

Great. It was those bullies; didn't they get tired of this? Were they ever going to stop tormenting him? They had though, once Izaya, Shizuo and Kadota were always around –

But now –

No! he didn't have time for this! Izaya –

He had to find him!

"So, Kishitani – what are we going to do with you now?"

Shinra gulped, but he clenched his fists, he could throw a punch, right? Izaya said so himself.

"Touch so much as a hair on him and I'll cut you to shreds."

Everyone blinked. Who had said that just now?

Shinra's heart skipped a beat when the three turn to the right, and then he could see him. The one standing there, glaring at the bullies, now blocking the doorway, the one that said those words –

He had found him!

Izaya!

Izaya walked toward them, his knife glinting in the sunlight as he raised it in front of him. "You've got a problem with him? Take it up with me."

Shinra remained frozen, he couldn't believe Izaya was just here, he really thought –

There seemed to be a stare out, neither one was willing to back down, but Izaya's confidence had always been high, he could bluff his way out of anything. The three knew Izaya was strong, not Shizuo strong, but enough, they knew he could take them.

The middle one snorted, looked behind him at Shinra and then back to Izaya. "You're wasting your time with this one. He's pathetic, which reflects on you, runt."

Izaya smirked and chuckled. "If wasting my time with him, stops me from acting like you, then I'd gladly stick around."

Shinra shook, not out of fear, but – happiness, what Izaya said just now –

Did he mean it?

The three pushed past Izaya, the raven chuckled and watched them disappear through the exit. He turned back to Shinra, smiled at him and then –

He collapsed.

Shinra shot forward, skidding on the ground beside him. Izaya was hunched over, barely sitting upright. Shinra pushed against his shoulders, forcing the raven to look at him. Izaya grinned weakly, Shinra frowned, wondering what was wrong. "Izaya-"

"Sorry for the interruption…. Wasn't sure if you could take care of it…"

That was not an issue right now! That was not what he should be concerned about! Shinra's eyes roamed over him and that's when he noticed, blood, dripping to the ground, Shinra's eyes widened, the blood was coming from inside his sleeve, dripping from his hand between his fingers. "Izaya…. what did you do?"

Izaya smiled at him. "Yeah… I was going to – I did, but then I heard them, I couldn't do nothing ne?"

Shinra couldn't believe it! Izaya had been here all this time!

"Izaya you-"

"I heard you, and I thought it would be better if I just – heh, I guess you needed me after all…."

Shinra shook his head, blood was staining the sleeve, he reached over and grabbed Izaya's arm. "What did you – Izaya-"

"I think I might have made a mistake…."

Shinra glared at him. "You think!? You think you made a mistake!?"

Izaya flinched, his eyes averting away.

Shinra grabbed his shirt. "Look at me dammit!" Izaya's eyes widened and he was forced to look at his friend. Shinra's eyes clouded. "How could you possibly think this would be better! How could you just – you can't fucking just – Izaya, just because you think it's what you deserve, it doesn't mean it's true!"

Izaya stared at him. "You – you figured it out…"

Shinra nodded. "I did. I know why you said those things. You wanted us to hate you, right? Because you think that's what you deserved. That's why you quit, that's why you told Shizuo all that stuff, that's why you-"

Izaya watched in surprise as Shinra carefully lifted his sleeve up, the blood smeared across his arm as he raised it. Izaya had cut, but not his wrist, the vein in his cubital fossa, except that –

Izaya looked at it, he smiled lightly, but wasn't sure why. "Ne, I think I missed."

Shinra frowned up at him. "Yes. You did. The blade just missed the vein, dammit Izaya…. what the fuck were you thinking…"

"Must have gotten distracted by those idiots."

Shinra narrowed his eyes. "Please tell me that was a joke. Tell me that you're not disappointed that you missed."

Izaya looked down at his arm, there was a lot of blood, but nothing close to being life threatening, as he had originally thought. "No, I guess not. I'm not disappointed…."

Shinra sighed in relief. "The cut is deep, so it makes sense that you nearly passed out. Of course, lack of food mixed with that would definitely cause you to collapse like that."

Izaya tensed, Shinra held his hand over the deep gash, trying to put some pressure on, to stop the bleeding. "How did you-"

"Come on Izaya, the only way we could get you to eat anything at lunch was if you stole it from ours, and since you got everyone mad at you, you stopped…."

Izaya smiled, Shinra really did know everything, he was such a perceptive friend, he knew him…. really knew him. His smile faded, because what he had done, not only fucked his own friendship's up, it had caused Shinra's too. "I didn't mean to make them mad at you…that wasn't my intention."

Shinra shrugged. "I was alone for so long before you guys came along, wasn't hard to get used to that again. I should be mad at you though for-"

"I know. For saying what I did, for doing this shit…."

Shinra blinked at him and then shook his head. "Actually, I was going to say, I should be mad at you because you were actually going to do this," Shinra pointed at his arm. "Right here, right within plain sight…. And I wouldn't have even known…"

Oh. That's what he meant. Izaya sighed. "I'm sorry Shinra…."

Shinra stood up, pulling Izaya with him. "Come on, this needs treating."

Izaya didn't know what to say, why, why was Shinra still fucking here? He didn't deserve this! He thought for sure this time, that he would – "…Hate me."

Shinra looked up at him. "What?"

"Why…. why don't you hate me…"?

Shinra sighed, was he seriously still questioning himself? Was he still doubting his worth to him? "Because I love you."

Izaya stared at him, wide eyed, his breath hitched. "Shinra… no, I-"

Shinra continued. "I know. I know you don't feel the same. It's not like that."

Izaya tilted his head. "It's not?"

Shinra chuckled. "Ok, it is. But hear me out. It's ok that you don't love me back, it's ok that you never will, and it's ok if you don't ever return those feelings to anyone."

Izaya's eyebrows creased slightly. "Shizu-chan?"

Shinra smiled. "Yeah, him. It doesn't matter because, deep down, I know that you care, the type of care that makes it just as special. Your heart is fragile, but it's full of so much loyalty, so much passion, when you put effort into something, it's a hundred percent. Whether it be the business, your friendships, or – or even your relationship."

Izaya's eyes become wide, his mind frazzled at the words Shinra was telling him, they were so damn honest, so truthful, Shinra believed every word, didn't he? "Shinra…."

"I love you Izaya, so don't you dare fucking leave. Please."

Izaya bit his lip, tears clouding at his eyelids and then –

Izaya wrapped his arms around Shinra, hugging him tightly, he cried, he just cried.

Shinra returned the embrace, they really should get him to a hospital, that cut needed stitching, but right now, Izaya needed to let this out. The raven's hands clutched the back of his shirt, his body shook as he sobbed. "It's ok, Izaya, it'll be ok."

Izaya's voice cracked, he screwed his eyes tighter. "I'm such a fucking mess…. Shinra…why, why am I like this?"

Shinra just chuckled. "Because you're an idiot. You just need to get used to what a true friendship really means. It's not anything bad, there's nothing wrong with you. You're just you."

Izaya huffed a laugh then, his sobs ceased a little, he pulled back, smiling slightly through his tears, "I don't think that's a compliment, Shinra."

Shinra laughed. "Not for anyone else, but to you it is, right?"

Izaya smiled. "I guess so."

"Good," Shinra placed his hand on Izaya's shoulder. "It will be ok, I promise. I'm here for you, I always will be."

Izaya breathed out a shaky sigh, he should have known that, he really should have. "I'm an idiot. You were right."

"Well now that we've agreed on that, let's get your arm treated."

Shinra pulled Izaya with him toward the exit. Izaya stopped him, grabbing his wrist, Shinra turned to look at the frown that was now etched on his face. "Don't tell them anything. Dota-chin and Shizu-chan, I'm not ready to explain everything to them yet,"

Shinra smiled. "I wasn't going to."

Izaya sighed. "I just – I can barely handle the fact that you've forgiven me. I don't think I can take theirs too, not that I think they would, or that they should…. Just," Izaya huffed a laugh. "One at a time, ok?"

Shinra nodded. "I understand."

…

Izaya turned his head to the sound of a giggle; he was sat in his art class, yeah, art. Shizuo had moved seats, and Izaya glared over at the reason why. That giggle was fucking annoying. And that damn smile he was giving _her, _she had always been in this class, but only recently – three weeks to be precise, three fucking weeks! She had approached him, spouting shit about how she had always thought he was nice and cute, and had always had a crush on him. Izaya hadn't believed his eyes at first, she did it, right in front of him! And what did Shizuo do? He fucking blushed, smiling that smile – the one that – the one he had used for him before… the only one he showed to him, and now, now he was feeling the same about someone else. At least, that's what it damn well looked like, of course, he wasn't jealous, not one bit, nope.

Izaya clenched his fist when she giggled again, Shizuo laughed too and then she leaned on his arm with a smile. God, he just wanted to fucking –

Izaya blinked, he hadn't realized he had even balled up that piece of paper, the piece of paper that had just hit the side of the girl's head. Whoops.

She looked down at her desk and began to unravel the ball, she wouldn't find anything written there, because he kept that piece on his right, out of his textbook.

Izaya grinned down at it, but his grin faded when he realized –

The page was blank –

Which meant that – Izaya looked over at them, she had the other one. Heh.

Izaya chuckled at her loud screech. "That's horrible!" oh well, serves her right. "Who would draw something like that."

Shizuo frowned at the paper when she showed him. It was a drawing, of her, obviously, he could tell; the version of her, however, was depicting her somewhat – decapitated.

Ok, maybe that was a bit much, but she honestly wasn't meant to see it, he hadn't meant to throw it at her, and he certainly hadn't meant for Shizuo to see it either. Izaya glanced up as Shizuo stood up and come storming over to him. "What?" Izaya tilted his head, giving him the expression of innocence, as though he hadn't thrown that paper just now.

Shizuo gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the desk, he ignored the teacher's protests and shouts for him to sit back down. "What the fuck was that Izaya?"

Izaya smiled, though it was more like a grin, but this was the first time in nearly two weeks that Shizuo had said any words to him, whether it was out of anger or not, he didn't care. Shizuo was talking to him – well, he was shouting, but that wasn't the point. "What was what?"

Shizuo was about to grab him by the shirt –

And then the bell rang.

Izaya chuckled and jumped out of his chair. "Saved by the bell!" he then dodged Shizuo's hand to grab him and grinned over his shoulder as he ran out of the classroom, knowing Shizuo would chase after him.

Except –

Izaya ran down the corridor and then slowed to a stop, looking back when he realized –

Shizuo wasn't chasing him. Izaya frowned as he stared down the corridor, his hands clenched when Shizuo emerged from the classroom, with the girl in tow, lightly sobbing against him, his arm wrapped around her in comfort. Izaya snorted, seriously, was Shizuo really attracted to that type? Clingy, over sensitive, air head –

"Izaya?"

Izaya blinked and turned to who had called his name. Shinra. "What?"

Shinra tilted his head and stepped beside him. "Who are you trying to burn holes into?" then he saw them, Shizuo and – Kimori? He was quite sure that was her name, Ai Kimori. "Oh, I see. They're getting along really well, aren't they?"

Izaya glared at Shinra. "That's not what your supposed to say Shinra."

Shinra laughed nervously. "Heh. Sorry." Izaya continued to glare at him, Shinra sighed. "I'm sorry Izaya, I know this is hard, but I think he really likes her."

Izaya rolled his eyes. "She's not right for him. She's too-" Izaya stopped when Shizuo and Kimori neared them, Shizuo glared at him.

"Stay away from her, flea."

Izaya narrowed his eyes as the couple made their way down the stairs. Shinra looked at him with a questioning gaze. "What was that about?"

Izaya snorted. "She turned on the water works just because of a drawing; I didn't think it was that bad."

Shinra chuckled as he shook his head. "Stop being mean. It's only going to get you in trouble, Shizuo is the last one to forgive you, so if you keep doing stuff like this-"

"No. he's moved on, Shinra, it's too late for us, he won't forgive me now, I've just got to accept that."

Shinra's expression grew sad. "Izaya…"

Izaya smiled at him. "Don't worry about it, I'll be fine. There's no point in explaining anything to him, it's done."

Shinra sighed. "So, that's it?"

Izaya shrugged. "That's it. Given how we started out, our relationship was doomed from the start."

….

Classes from the second years were stood in lines outside on the parking lot, with their homeroom teachers in front, waiting to step into the designated buses. They were going on a field trip today, to some popular museum or something, Izaya wasn't sure which one, he didn't care much for field trips. Izaya narrowed his eyes when he heard that annoying giggle; they were stood in pairs, chosen, 'field trip buddies,' Izaya was stood next to Shinra, Kadota was behind them, paired off with the unfortunate kid who got travel sick. Shizuo and Kimori were in front, one couple down from them.

"Shizuo, you're so funny!"

Izaya snorted, placing his hands in his pockets as they began to get on the bus. His voice took on a slightly high pitch as he said, "_Shizuo, you're so funny_." Shinra chuckled.

Kadota clapped a hand on his shoulder, poking his head between the two. "Could you be anymore jealous?" Izaya knew he was teasing him, his cheeks tinted lightly, he was making it kind of obvious wasn't he.

"Shut up Dota-chin, I hope that kid is sick on you."

"That's harsh."

Somehow, Kadota had forgiven him, Izaya wasn't sure how he did it, but Kadota had a good sense of intuition, he was mad for sure, but when Izaya explained a few things, not the entire story, but enough; eventually he was forgiven. He knew it would be a while before he could regain their full friendship, but it was a good start.

The students took their seats in their pairs, Kadota had to sit at the front since his trip buddy always got travel sick. He felt a little abandoned, not that he would blame Shizuo, the blond was happy it seemed, but it had always just been the four of them. Even when Izaya and Shizuo had been together, it had still just been them, Shinra would sit next to Kadota after they'd become a couple, sometimes they switched. But now, now Shizuo was with someone else entirely, she didn't try to become part of their circle, it was as if she was taking Shizuo away from his friends. Given her personality, she probably wasn't doing it on purpose, she was just extremely clingy, she needed all Shizuo's attention. He liked to think that Shizuo was his best friend, he'd always been there for him, and the other way around. He glanced at the kid beside him, slumping in dismay. _And I get stuck with this kid. _

Shizuo gritted his teeth, closing his eyes, counting to ten in his head, a vein popping out on his forehead. The buses had already left the school, now on their way to the museum, he could not seriously start a fight on the bus. He clenched his fists, why, just why, why did he have to sit right in front of Izaya and Shinra, god fucking damn it. The raven was kicking his chair, on fucking purpose! Again! Just like he used to do in art. Not his chair directly, _hers. _but Shizuo could feel the vibrations anyway, it might as well be his own.

Shinra tapped Izaya on the arm, whispering, "Izaya stop it."

Izaya chuckled. He slouched slightly and booted under the chair with a grin.

Before Shizuo could turn and punch him, Kimori turned around, popping her head between the seats.

"Excuse me, Izaya-san?"

Izaya raised an eyebrow, his expression amused. "Yes?"

"Um, you're kicking my chair."

Izaya had to refrain from laughing, he glanced at Shinra who was glaring at him, he then turned back to her, his expression turning into confusion. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize."

Shizuo glared at him from over the top of his chair. _You know damn well that you were, asshole. _

Kimori smiled at Izaya. "No problem, I just thought I'd let you know. It's ok."

Izaya rolled his eyes when she turned back in her seat. Jesus fucking Christ. Izaya looked over at Shizuo, and smirked. "Something you want to say, Shizu-chan?"

Shizuo held a firm grip on the chair. "Leave her alone. I'm warning you."

Izaya shrugged and then raised his hands in mock surrender. "Whatever you say."

…

Free to walk around the museum, if they stayed in their pairs and took notes of what they had seen. There were many sections, mostly displaying different Buddha statues; displaying extinct animals; information about the wars in Japan and other countries, there was even a side section – the dungeon. It was darker than the rest of the museum, but it was supposed to be that way, to give off the eerie vibe. No one had to go in there, it wasn't a mandatory section.

Izaya and Shinra met up with Kadota and his buddy, they knew Kadota would want to look around the section, surprised to hear that even the sick kid wanted to. Shizuo walked past them, Kimori was talking to him about something they'd seen at some point. Kadota raised his arm up to catch his attention. "Yo! Shizuo!"

Shizuo stopped and turned around with a smile, they walked toward them. "What's up?"

Kadota shrugged. "Nothing much," he gestured his thumb behind him. "We're checking out this section, looks cool, thought you might wanna join us. It's about the old punishment laws and prisons I think."

Shizuo stepped forward, nodding that he'd go with them, a pull on his arm stopped him. Shizuo looked behind, Kimori shook her head. "I don't want to go in there, it looks creepy."

Shizuo smiled and kissed the top of her head. "You don't have to. You can wait out here, ok?"

Izaya clenched a fist, was Shizuo just that fucking ignorant, or was he doing this on purpose? How dare he display that shit – that affection right in his face!

Kimori rubbed her arm shyly. "Wait out here, by myself?"

Shizuo looked up and nodded over at the group of girls near the samurai swords. "Your friends are there, wait with them, I'll be out soon, I promise. Then we can check out that indoor garden stuff you wanted."

Izaya rolled his eyes, everything about her just pissed him off. "Stay with her Shizu-chan, or she might start crying." The words slipped out before he realized, Shizuo glared at him and he glared right back, like hell was he going to feel bad for that.

"Shut the hell up, Izaya."

"Tch." Izaya turned his back and then dragged Shinra toward the entrance of the dungeon. _Fucking brute. _

Shizuo looked at Kadota and said, "I probably should stay with her."

Kadota sighed. "All right. Talk to you later."

Shizuo watched him jog to catch up with the other two, he felt bad, he knew he hadn't spent much time around his friends lately. He really did want to go with them, but –

"I'm sorry Shizuo, I feel bad now. I don't want to keep you away from your friends."

Shizuo smiled at her. "It's not your fault."

Kimori looked at the entrance and held onto his arm, a determined frown on her face. "Let's go in."

Shizuo blinked. "What? Are you sure?"

Kimori smiled. "You want to, don't you?"

Shizuo nodded and glanced at the section, then back to her. "But I know you won't like it."

She gripped onto his arm tighter. "Just don't leave my side, ok? I don't want to get lost in there."

Shizuo chuckled. "I won't. I promise."

Halfway through the dungeon – Izaya, Shinra and Kadota were a few feet ahead of Shizuo, the raven kept glancing back at them, every time he did, he rolled his eyes, she had her eyes closed the whole fucking time!

Izaya smirked and stopped to speak. "I heard someone got trapped here a long time ago," he looked purposefully back at the couple, Shizuo frowned. "Not anyone specific, just a tourist; see, after the museum shut, he stuck around to come down here," Izaya nodded over to the guillotine. "Got stuck in one of those," he walked over to it, crouching as if to inspect it. "The poor fool tried to get himself out, but the damn thing was broken and – bam! It came down on him," Izaya stood up and smirked over at her, she was shaking. "Rumors suggest that he's still here, looking around for his head…It's right here!" Izaya then threw something at her or tried.

Kimori screamed loudly –

Shizuo caught the object, it was a skull, a prop, obviously.

Izaya laughed hard.

Shinra and Kadota shared a glance, and then Shizuo snapped.

The blond stalked up to the raven who was still laughing, he grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him against the wall. "Cut that shit out!"

Izaya wrapped his hand around Shizuo's wrist. "It's not my fault she's a coward."

Shizuo slammed the skull into the wall beside Izaya's head, it crumbled into pieces. "Aren't you being a fucking hypocrite!? All the crap you've been through and your pulling shit like this? Don't you think you should show some damn sympathy!?"

Izaya narrowed his eyes, what Shizuo was talking about was not the same, he was way off! How fucking dare he! "Get the hell off me Shizuo!"

Shizuo slammed him against the wall again, Izaya winced. "I don't know what the hell your problem is, I don't know why you're being such a dick, but just leave her the fuck alone, got it!?"

Izaya clenched his fists, god damn it, couldn't he see how much he was hurting? Couldn't Shizuo tell that seeing them together was killing him? Didn't he care at all? Izaya's next words came in a whisper, barely audible. "She's not right for you…."

Shizuo loosened his grip slightly, he frowned as Izaya looked at him, his smirk was gone. "You broke up with me, Izaya."

Izaya swallowed the lump in his throat, he was about to say something, tell him that he missed him, that he couldn't fucking stand to see him with that girl, that he –

"Or is it that because you can't love me, then no one else can either."

Izaya's eyes widened, had Shizuo really just said that – Izaya then glared and shoved him off.

Shizuo stepped back, wondering if maybe he'd said something out of line, he began to regret it, but why should he? Because it was exactly how Izaya was acting right now.

"Fuck you!" Izaya pushed him back again. "I hate you! Don't ever speak to me again! Go fuck her for all I care!" Izaya stormed past him and dashed toward the way they had come in.

Shizuo stared after, he'd never seen the raven so angry at him before.

Kadota and Shinra gaped in shock, they looked back at Shizuo, Kadota asked the question. "Sh-shizuo? Are you ok?"

The blond clenched his fists. _Shit. _He then walked to Kimori, she looked at him with sympathy and he led her back toward the entrance.

…..

Shizuo, Kadota and Kimori were inside the gift shop, it felt wrong not to leave the museum and not buy a souvenir. Kimori was browsing the trinket section while the two boys were looking at figurines.

Shizuo picked up the statue of a samurai warrior, he peered underneath it and whistled at the price. "Damn, that's expensive."

Kadota chuckled. "You really like that one huh?"

Shizuo nodded. "Kind of like swords."

Kadota smiled. "Is that one of the reasons that attracted you to Izaya?" Shizuo half glared at him, but he could see Kadota hadn't meant to upset him. Kadota hunched his shoulders. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

Shizuo shook his head. "S'all right. But yeah, you're right, I guess."

Shizuo and Kadota looked behind them when they heard Kimori speak. "Why can't I buy that? Is it that expensive? Is that why it doesn't have a price tag?"

Kadota tapped him on the arm, "I'm gonna go back to the bus with the sick kid, ok?" Shizuo nodded.

Shizuo walked up behind Kimori and lay his hand on her shoulder.

"Something wrong?"

Kimori nodded and pointed to the black box that was on the shelf by the cash register, it was decorated with a red rose and there was a lock dangling from it. It reminded Shizuo of a memory box, or a jewelry box. "He said I can't buy that, it's pretty, but he said I can't have it."

The man behind the register shook his head. "She can't have it, because it's not for sale."

Shizuo tilted his head with a frown. "If it's not for sale, then why is it out here in the shop?"

"It's a display only. Not to be sold to anyone."

"Maybe you should put it in the encasement then."

The man waved him off. "I think your class is about to leave, it's time you left too."

Shizuo wasn't going to argue over it, he looked at Kimori and smiled. "Ready to go?"

Kimori pouted and then looked up at him. "But I haven't brought anything yet. I promised my Mom that I'd get her a gift."

Shizuo looked outside, he could see that the other students were leaving, and he sighed. "All right, I'll go tell the teacher to wait some more."

Kimori jumped in excitement. "Thank you Shizuo!" She then kissed him, and he chuckled and left the shop.

###

Izaya stood outside the restrooms, waiting for Shinra, he casually glanced inside the gift shop. He could see Kadota and Shizuo looking at figurines, god he missed him so much. Izaya stepped a little closer to the shop, just so that he might hear them.

"Damn, that's expensive."

Izaya chuckled quietly to himself.

"You really like that one huh?"

Izaya saw the figurine that Shizuo had picked up, the blond loved swords, there was even one hanging in his bedroom, it was the only thing he really owned.

"Kind of like swords."

"Is that one of the reasons that attracted you to Izaya?"

Izaya froze then. _Damn it Dota-chin, why did you have to be so blunt now. _

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"S'all right. But yeah, I guess you're right."

Izaya's eyes widened, he never knew that, Shizuo hadn't told him that before. Just one of the reasons? Izaya was curious about the others. What else had Shizuo not told him that he liked about him?

Izaya then narrowed his eyes when he watched the exchange take place between Shizuo and Kimori. His heart clenched painfully when she kissed him and then he jogged out of the shop, out of the museum, without even noticing him. Izaya became curious, he stood behind the wall of the shop and peered inside, watching her. She was just browsing the display of trinkets and charms, nothing unusual.

Kimori looked up at the shop keeper when he turned his back to restock the items behind him. She chewed her lip as her fingers edged closer to the black box. Izaya's eyes widened as he watched her quickly snatch the box from the shelf and put it in her bag. No way – she didn't just –

Kimori smiled and called out cheerfully. "I'm sorry if I was pushy Mr., I had a great time here. Thank you!"

The man turned to her with a kind smile and bowed. "Come again soon."

She giggled and jogged out of the shop. "I will!"

Izaya reached over and grabbed her wrist, he pulled her back and pinned her to the wall. She let out a squeak of surprise and clutched her bag. She then relaxed when she saw who it was. "Oh, Izaya-san, it's you. You scared me."

Izaya leaned toward her. "That's theft you know."

Kimori's eyes widened and her eyes darted side to side, looking for someone. Yeah, Izaya knew exactly who she was looking for. "W-what are you talking about?"

Izaya grabbed her bag. "You took something from that shop. I saw you!"

Kimori yanked her bag back. "I didn't take anything, I swear Izaya!"

Izaya gritted his teeth, he just fucking watched her take it! "What else doesn't he know about you?" He placed his hand beside her head, glaring at her.

"It's not like that! I didn't take anything!"

Izaya slammed his palm on the wall. "I just saw you!"

**#punch#**

Izaya skidded across the floor, wincing as he touched his fingers to his lip. He stared up at Shizuo in surprise, blood trickled at the corner of his mouth. "Shizu-chan…. She-"

Shizuo glared down at him. "I don't want to fucking hear it!"

Izaya stood up, his fists clenched. "She just took that black box from the shop!"

Shizuo glanced at her and she shook her head vigorously. "I didn't! I swear Shizuo, I didn't take anything…" She clung to his arm and her eyes watered.

Shizuo rubbed her arms. "It's ok, I believe you."

Izaya snorted. "You've got to be kidding me… Shizu-chan, if you don't believe me then check her bag! Check the shop!"

Shizuo narrowed his eyes at Izaya. "Has it really come to this? You're lying now? Do you really hate me that much?"

Izaya opened his mouth to say something, but Shinra called his name and he glanced over.

"…. What's going on?" Shinra looked confused, looking between them.

Izaya glared at Shizuo and Kimori and then shrugged, fine, he didn't care anymore. To hell with them both! If Shizuo wanted to believe her, whom he known five fucking minutes, then so be it! Izaya stormed past them, causing Shinra to look toward Shizuo and then run after him.

Shizuo sighed, he glanced down at Kimori. "You ok?"

Kimori smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "I thought he was going to hurt me…" Shizuo frowned the slightest bit as he wrapped his arms around her. He doubted very much that Izaya would hurt her like that, but – that didn't excuse him for accusing her of theft.

"Don't worry. He won't hurt you."

Kimori nodded, and, unbeknownst to Shizuo –

She grinned.

**AN: I really really hope this chapter was ok, I just love a jealous Izaya :)**

**But seriously, I hope you all approved. Was worried about this one tbh. I enjoyed writing it though.**

**Anyway, I promise there is one more Arc to come next, Kimori is relevant to this, and maybe it has something to do with the black box ;)**


	23. Keepsake part 1

Izaya sighed as he leant back against the wall of his small bedroom, his phone held loosely in his hand, his other holding his head, knees propped. His eyebrows furrowed as he thought back to yesterday, that damn girl…. Sure, he hated her, but there was a reason for that, he hadn't pegged her for a thief though. Wincing, his tongue licked across the cut on his lip, his eyes narrowed even more, Shizuo had fucking punched him! Izaya was quite sure that Kimori had him wrapped all around her little finger. He couldn't believe the blond's ignorance, it was absolutely mind-boggling, the way he acted around her. Shizuo's instincts almost never failed him, and yet, he couldn't even see what was right in front of his face.

Izaya gritted his teeth; ordinarily, she was an airhead, a naïve dramatic girl. However, there was a different side to her that no one would have even guessed. Izaya didn't even suspect her, he had teased her and deliberately went out of his way, to ensure both her and Shizuo knew of his disapproval toward their relationship. He just didn't expect this, she took that trinket without hesitation, and then outright lied about it. Izaya wasn't sure what bothered him the most, that she stole, or that she lied and Shizuo believed her. The raven turned his head toward the window, the view he had allowed him to see who was walking past, yet the pathway leading toward the building was enclosed.

Izaya had found the tiny apartment a couple of days after he left the abandoned place nearby the school. Still, no one knew where he was staying, neither Shinra nor Kadota. Izaya had found it on an ad in a shop window while he had been buying groceries. It was rented, and the landlord kept it for singular tenants who were just looking for their own space. Izaya jumped on the ad right away; it wasn't shared, and he had no neighbours either. At first, the landlord was sceptical, because Izaya was young, but when the raven had given him four months' worth of rent upfront, the apartment became his home.

Izaya missed his old bedroom, missed his house, his sisters…. But he was comfortable enough here, it gave him some piece, a place to think. He didn't believe he could ever go back to his parents, not after what they had told him, he just couldn't get his head around it. the raven shook his head, it wasn't important right now, he had other issues in his life that were more urgent. Kimori.

Izaya frowned again, after that incident in the museum, she wasn't going to leave Shizuo's side now. his hand tightened around his phone, and Shizuo would be watching him like a hawk, to make sure he didn't go anywhere near her. Okay, so he had started it, teasing her and acting rashly due to his jealousy; but how had such a rift come between them? To the point where Shizuo wouldn't even believe a word he said anymore. Even after what had been said in the dungeon section of the trip, Izaya was still looking out for him. he had seen the way Kimori was around him, and when he watched her take something from the shop, Izaya thought Shizuo deserved to know.

However, the blond just wasn't willing to listen; Izaya saw it in his eyes quite clearly, Shizuo was starting to hate him, and if he was honest, he didn't blame him. the raven glanced at the window; he could see the ground had become dark, little puddles beginning to form where the ground was uneven. It was raining. He followed the trickles of water from the top of the window down to its seal, watching how easy they disappeared at the end; how many times had he wished that for himself? How many times had he fucked up in such a way that he just couldn't bare living with the consequences?

He pushed everyone away that cared about him, all the time.

His family loved him, and he left –

Shinra loved him and he was always hurting him, one way or another –

Shizuo loved him and –

Izaya clenched his fists, he had hurt him the most, he was forever being an asshole, and yet – Shizuo was the one person he had truly felt connected to, a deeper level unlike anything he had felt before. Izaya always felt safe when he was around, could cling to for support, he had become a constant in the raven's life. Yet the moment Shizuo showed him pure affection, something so real, Izaya pushed him away.

He hurt the blond like he never had before, hurt him by hurting another –

Shinra. That idiot; why did he have to be so damn forgiving all the time. No matter what Izaya did, said or how he acted, Shinra was always there, he never left him. Izaya lay his head on the wall, listening to the rain as it turned into a heavy pour, clattering loudly against the pane. "I don't deserve any of them."

His thoughts drifted back to Shizuo, he missed him so much, he would do anything to get him back. Even if they only made it as friends in the end, as much as that would hurt, he wouldn't care if he could have him there. Shizuo had made it clear what he thought of him now, and Izaya knew he hadn't done anything to ease that.

A thought suddenly crossed his mind, if he could figure out a way to make Shizuo see Kimori for who she really was, then maybe there was a slim chance for them. Izaya didn't think Shizuo would be his again, but he'd take him any way possible, if it meant the blond would just – be there. Izaya frowned; Shizuo had been protecting him and looking out for him since they met, now it was time for him to do the same, whether Shizuo wanted it or not.

Izaya looked outside, the rain had eased to a light patter, and the sun was just peeking back through the clouds. He then glanced down at his phone, he didn't deserve his friends, but he needed them, he always needed them. Izaya sent out a text to Shinra and Kadota, stood up from the bed, grabbed his black jacket and quickly slipped into his shoes.

'Meet me at west gate park, thirty minutes.'

…

Izaya smiled when Shinra and Kadota walked toward him as he sat casually on a swing. He knew they'd come; they always did. Shinra reached him first, lightly jogging up beside him, Kadota a few seconds behind. Shinra pushed his glasses up with a light pant and sat down on the swing next to his friend. Kadota leaned against its frame with his arms folded, both looking at the raven expectantly; Kadota was the first to speak and Izaya glanced up at him nervously. "So, what's going on? This must be about Shizuo, since he's not here."

Izaya knew that was an easy guess, but even if it hadn't been about Shizuo, the blond still would not have been here. "It is, partly. Not that he would be here anyway."

Kadota stared at him with an annoyed expression for a moment before sighing. "So, what's this about?"

Izaya averted his gaze down at the ground, gently tipping his swing back and forth paying no mind that it was still wet. "About what happened at the museum…" Izaya hadn't told them what he'd seen, hadn't explained why Shizuo had punched him, who knows what conclusions they had been coming up with. Izaya had been constantly harassing Kimori all week, so naturally they might have assumed that Shizuo just couldn't take it anymore, so he hit him.

A light frown appeared on Shinra's face and he said, "Shizuo punched you, but you never said why, you just left."

Izaya nodded and looked up at the sky with frustration. "While I might have been an asshole all those other times for no reason, this time was different," he looked at Kadota. "When you and Shizuo left the shop, Kimori took something from the counter and put it in her bag. When she came out, I confronted her, or tried to, I don't know why it bothered me so much; maybe it was the unexpectedness of it all, since she had been so, _nice. _I guess I was angry that I didn't suspect it, that someone like her, had someone like-" Izaya gritted his teeth and clenched his hands around the chains. "Of course, she denied everything, started crying and, and then Shizu-chan punched me. He must have thought I was being my usual asshole self; I tried to explain what I saw, but he didn't want to listen," Izaya sighed. "I really think he's done with me."

Kadota and Shinra hadn't expected the truth from him, they expected a half-assed explanation, followed by some snarky comment and a whole bunch of lies. They certainly hadn't expected the situation about Kimori either, didn't blame Izaya for being angry. "I can't really blame Shizuo for not wanting to listen to you," Izaya looked at him with a frown, but Kadota rolled his eyes before continuing. "But I believe you at least."

Izaya blinked at him, surprised by his answer. "You do?"

Kadota chuckled. "Don't sound so surprised, I'm not just Shizuo's friend you know, yours too."

Izaya smiled briefly and then averted his gaze, unsure how to respond. He then glanced at Shinra beside him, the boy had been quiet, and Izaya wanted to know what he was thinking. "Shinra?"

Shinra's eyes moved directly on him at the mention of his name. "Why didn't you say something when we were on the bus?"

Izaya huffed and then shrugged. "I was angry. I didn't want to talk about it, and Shizu-chan's punch might have had something to do with that, I mean, that fucking hurt."

Shinra sighed. "So, what do you want to do?"

Izaya tilted his head. "About?"

Shinra was about to reply, but Kadota was quicker. "Izaya, you must have a plan in mind, otherwise you wouldn't have told us all that, something to do with Kimori, right?"

Izaya frowned at the mention of her name, but his voice was calm. "I need your help. I want you to help me make Shizu-chan realise who she really is."

Kadota pinched the bridge of his nose, he didn't want to get roped into Izaya's impulsive acts of jealousy. "And who is that? just because she stole something, that doesn't make her a horrible person." 

Izaya clicked his tongue. "What the hell do you want me to say? That I think she's a phony? Or that she's just using him? she's hiding her true personality from him and it makes me sick."

Kadota placed his hands in his pockets, inclining his head toward the sky. "Could be a one-time thing. We don't know she's doing all that, maybe she just acted on impulse at the time, she might even tell Shizuo the truth out of guilt."

Izaya stood up from the swing in annoyance. "I thought you believed me." Before the raven could storm off, Kadota grabbed his arm, Izaya turned to him with a frown.

"I do. I just, I need to know that this is your better judgement and not something you've conjured up because you're jealous."

Shinra grinned to himself. _Wow Kadota, you really took him by surprise with that one._

Izaya threw his hands up. "Fine! I'm jealous, all right? I fucking hate her, I hate her stupid fake laugh, I hate the way she's always clinging to him; I want to push her down the stairs every time she walks past me in the corridor."

Kadota blinked in surprise for a moment and then he just laughed. "Shit. Izaya, didn't really expect you to admit all that. you really are jealous of her, wow."

Izaya's cheeks tinted and he folded his arms in a pout. "Shut up."

Shinra joined in the laughter and stood up, wrapping his arm around Izaya's shoulder. "Naw, we won't tell."

Izaya shoved him off, he was so embarrassed, he hadn't meant to blurt any of that out. "I hate you both."

Kadota grinned. "Nope, just her, apparently."

Izaya rolled his eyes. "Anyway. _Now, _will you help me? I couldn't sound more fucking pathetic if I tried."

Kadota and Shinra laughed, Izaya's face was priceless. "Okay, so the fact that you're jealous has been made pretty clear, but on a serious note, Izaya; are you sure about her?"

Izaya chewed his lip for a moment, because he didn't want to get them into trouble, if they were to get involved now, then he had to be truthful. "Seventy percent."

There was silence for a moment, and then – "Good enough," Izaya smiled. "What can we do to help?"

…..

Izaya slipped a few yen into the donation box that was hung over the front of the ticket booth. The museum was free to enter, but since Izaya wasn't here to look at its history, he felt obligated to give something. The woman smiled and nodded at him, he then turned right when he walked into the first entrance; it was early, barely half nine, and it was a Sunday. Izaya entered the gift shop, he began browsing the items first, casually picking up an object every so often. He glanced at the figurines, smiling when he spotted the one that Shizuo had been eyeing. He shook his head, he wasn't here for that, but – Izaya's hand twitched, he felt the urge to buy the damn thing, and it wasn't even a holiday, nor was it Shizuo's birthday. The raven sighed, hating what Shizuo had done to him, when did he become aware of such sentimental details. Izaya picked up the figurine with care, raised it to look at the price underneath, he then chuckled. "Yeh, Shizu-chan will have to wait." Damn, the blond was right, that was expensive, it made him wonder why the hell it was just out here like this.

He looked behind the paying counter, the same man was there from before, that was good. Seriously though, he needed to learn the value of his stock; Izaya glanced back at the figurine, items like these should not be left out like they were toys. _Just like the trinket that wasn't for sale. _Thinking about the trinket, which was the whole reason he was here, he cursed under his breath, blaming Shizuo for distracting him and then walked over to the counter. "Didn't expect you to be open today." Izaya placed his hands in his pockets casually, waiting for the man to acknowledge him. he was elderly, maybe late sixties, trustworthy of course, if the layout of the shop was anything to go by.

The man in question eventually turned around, holding what looked like a crystal, probably a replica of the geology section. "Hello there, young man. What can I do for you?"

Izaya smiled politely, taking his hands out of his pockets and slid them onto the countertop as he leaned against it. "I came to talk to you about something." The man smiled and turned to place the crystal on a shelf behind him. Izaya rolled his eyes. _That he keeps safe. _his smile returned when the elder turned back to him.

"Not to sound rude but kids your age shouldn't be in museums on a Sunday, should be out having fun."

Izaya chuckled. "Well, you could say that I'm unique, I like to learn. Being in a place like this isn't uncommon for me."

A small laugh was followed, and the man nodded. "So, what brings you here? other then your thirst for knowledge of course."

The raven glanced over to where he had seen Kimori take the trinket and then sighed. "I was actually with the class that toured here two days ago."

The elder's eyes widened just slightly, and then he joked. "Oh, didn't you get enough free time to look around, come back to satisfy your curiosity some more eh?"

Izaya shook his head with amusement. "Not exactly. I came here to tell you something, and I was wondering if maybe you could help me prove it."

The man tilted his head. "Looking to discover something? you really are unique."

He was getting agitated with the conversation, couldn't the man let him finish a goddamn explanation? "No," Izaya leaned over the counter. "When we finished the trip, a few of my classmates were in here gift shopping, or browsing. Do you remember a girl expressing interest in these trinkets? She was with a tall blond male."

Izaya watched his expression, he looked like he was thinking hard about it, and then the man clicked his fingers. "That's right. pretty little thing, stubborn though, told her many times that the item she wanted wasn't for sale before she finally gave up." Izaya cringed, damn, he almost felt sorry for him, he did actually.

"Unfortunately, she didn't give up, did she." The man looked at him blankly and Izaya raised an eyebrow, it was then that he realised the elder didn't know what he was talking about. "The trinket?"

"What about it?"

Izaya pointed over to the shelf near the register. "She took it. you told her it wasn't for sale, but when your back was turned, she took it and then left, I saw her from outside."

The elder chuckled, shaking his head. "Nonsense," he walked over to the shelf. "It's right-" he then looked closely; his eyes wide. "Here… oh."

Izaya gave him a sympathetic smile but wondered just how the hell he hadn't even noticed. "I'm sorry, I tried to get it back, but she denied it all, there wasn't anything I could do without forcing her…" the man was in shock, his eyes roamed over the shelf several times as though it would just appear again. "Just to let you know, the blond she was with, had nothing to do with this; he left before she took it." the need to defend Shizuo was strong, he couldn't have anyone accusing him after all, not for something that she did. "Are you okay?"

His hand shook, and then covered his mouth. "Oh dear."

Izaya frowned, he began to wonder whether the trinket was of some significant importance to the man. "I don't mean to sound accusing, but if it was that important, why did you keep it somewhere within accessible reach?" he was having a tough time believing the man hadn't noticed until now. "Did you not realise at all?" The elder simply shook his head, no words were said, he just stared at the space in – was that fear? Or worry maybe?

"Why would she take it?" Izaya blinked when the man finally spoke, he frowned, feeling angry now.

"Most likely she just didn't care. I'm sorry that it happened though, I should have said something to you right away, but – well, that blond she was with, didn't give me a chance to even explain to him." Izaya could see him take note of the cut on his lip, he smiled with a shrug.

"I see. Do you think - that you could get it back?"

Izaya sighed. "I doubt it. not without breaking into her house, I imagine she's probably got it in her bedroom. I would rather not get the proof I need that way; I really don't need a black eye to accompany my swollen lip," he chuckled a little. "I was hoping that you would be able to help, don't you have security camera's in here?"

The old man nodded. "I do. Now that I know I'm looking for something, I'll get right on that."

Izaya smiled, sighing in relief. "Would you be willing to show my classmate when you find it? he doesn't believe me, and I would really appreciate it if you could help with that."

He nodded and huffed a laugh. "Anything to award your honesty."

Izaya glanced over at the figurines, he then walked over to pick up the samurai and turned to show the man. "How much is this?"

The owner merely chuckled. "It's just a statue really, nothing of high value, 2000 yen is all." Izaya raised an eyebrow and looked at the figurine.

_That explains a lot. He wouldn't have noticed the missing trinket if he can't even remember what's valuable in the shop. _Izaya took the samurai with him and tilted it to show the man the price tag at the bottom.

The man's eyes widened in astonishment. "Goodness!"

Izaya smiled. "I think you might like to re-evaluate the items you're selling." A nod of agreement was made and Izaya placed the figurine on the counter, he then took a slip of paper from the notepad beside the register and wrote down a number. "This is my phone number, let me know when you've found the footage." just before Izaya left the shop, the elder called him back.

"Young man?"

Izaya turned to him, hands in his pockets. "Izaya."

"Izaya. The trinket she took, it's important."

"All you have to do is show the cops that footage. then the trinket will be returned to you." _and Shizu-chan will see what a mistake he made. _Izaya shook his head with a smile.

"I think there's something I must tell you,"

The boy looked at him quizzically and then walked back over to the counter.

"It's not a trinket, although it certainly looks like one; there's a story behind that black box."

Izaya became curious. "A story? Like a myth?"

The man nodded. "I found that box thirty years ago while I was on vacation, it was on a stall in the market of Cairo. The man who sold it to me explained to me the story that I'm now about to tell you. the myth goes, that there was once a man and a woman; he was a high priest of the gods, and she was a merchant in the bizarre, she fell in love with him instantly when he showed her a small bit of kindness one day. She became obsessed with pursuing her love, she would follow him everywhere, did everything for him, and when the time came that she finally confessed to loving him devotedly; he denied her, and told her of his love interest that he already had for another. Furious, she became even more obsessed, she cursed their love and tried to kill all that showed him affection, including his true love. She was caught and put to death by snake pit."

Izaya grimaced at the story, though as he thought about it, the merchant sounded like Kimori, but that was his own opinion. "Where does the box come into it?"

"After her death, the man and his love were haunted by the lifeforce of Ka, it was what the Egyptians believed to be the immortal soul."

"Like how we perceive spirits and ghosts?"

"Yes. exactly, you really are a little book of knowledge. Anyway, her obsession was believed that if she couldn't have him, no one could. He made the box with his own hands, it was etched with a seal, he trapped her spirit in the box and she was never freed again."

Izaya couldn't help but think the story sounded just a tad peculiar, He knew merchants were respected, and he knew the priests carried certain duties to the gods, preparing offerings of food such as bread, meat and fruit, he guessed that they would receive such things from merchants. The peculiar part wasn't that he didn't think the two structures would express love between each other, it was the thought that he had never heard of such a story before, except for the screaming banshee in his hometown. But in ancient Egypt? There were many books containing knowledge of it's past, such a story sounded so out of place, but again that was his own opinion. "Do you believe in the myth? Is that why you're worried?" Once the man had noticed it missing, he looked concerned, but who was Izaya to judge what someone believed in? maybe there really was a spirit trapped in that box.

The elder chuckled then. "Well, perhaps. I believed the merchant who sold it to me, but of course I've never had any encounters with any spirit before; he told me to never open it, should it be opened, the spirit will be freed and she will seek revenge."

Izaya's eyes widened at that statement, what if the story was true? At least, to a certain point. "Is it easily opened?"

He looked at Izaya with a smile. "Caught your interest ay? Now don't go trying to open it or anything."

Izaya shook his head. "I was more concerned about her opening it, that's why I asked, I doubt she would have known about the story, so to her, it's just a trinket, some kind of jewellery box."

"I've not tried to open it before, but since the origin is ancient Egypt, it probably has some ritual words in Arabic or Hebrew." The man chuckled, like his words were supposed to be a joke.

Izaya nodded. "Is your joke your way of saying that it could be forced open?" the man shrugged, though his expression was dire. "It's obvious that you believe the story to be true, so if I were you, I really would get that footage."

"Do you believe it?"

The raven stared at him for a moment, wondering whether he should let on about his ability to see spirits. Izaya shook his head. "Not really." When the man moved to place the samurai on the shelf behind him, Izaya caught a glimpse of a photo hanging on the wall. the picture was of a young couple, a man and a woman, he had his arm around her and was smiling – but she looked – sad?

"My late wife, heh, wasn't I a stunner back then. She was too, everyone said we were a cute couple."

"She looks sad."

"I travelled a lot, could never quite stand to be in one place for long. but I loved her, and always came back to her."

Izaya frowned the slightest bit. _Must have loved him a lot to trust him that much. _Izaya then smiled at the man when he realised, he was still being stared at. "I'm sure the box will be returned to you. but next time, keep it out of sight, or at least in a display case."

The elder laughed lightly. "You probably think I'm senile, don't you?"

Izaya gave him a tight smile. "I wouldn't say that, I was taught to respect my elders."

Waving a hand dismissively, the man laughed again and said, "It's probably true you know, I'm not as young as I used to be. but I'm not always just a doddery old man." He turned behind him and reached for the crystal he had been handling before, placing it in front of Izaya on the counter. "I want you to have this."

The raven raised an eyebrow and picked up the crystal, he was sure that it was a replica of those they saw in the geology section, what were they called? Geode's? "Why?"

"It might look like an ordinary geode crystal," ah, so he was right after all. "This one however, is supposed to give the owner protection or something, it's given me quite the luck over the years."

Izaya didn't believe in charms, at least, not of this kind; things like dream catchers, they were just nonsense to him. besides, he had his own form of protection, in the form of a human being, who was real. Izaya sighed quietly, though that protection no longer applied to him, because Shizuo hated him. he slid the geode back toward the man. "I can't take this." He was trying to be as polite as possible, the man meant well.

"Nonsense. Consider it a token of my gratitude, a gift for all your honesty, and for listening to an old coot like me."

Izaya shrugged, why not, it wasn't the worst gift in the world, despite the man's belief in the thing, it did look cool. "Thank you." _Would have preferred the samurai though. _He then walked toward the outside.

"One more thing, have you ever heard of the Pandora's box?" Izaya looked back at him from the entrance, he nodded. "That's something I've had in mind whenever I thought about opening the box."

Made sense, to open Pandora's box, to do or start something that will cause many unforeseen problems, best that the box remained closed, no matter how curious the one owning it is. Izaya nodded to the man that he understood, and then walked out of the shop.

…..

Izaya, Shinra and Kadota were sat on top of the school rooftop, Shinra and Kadota were eating their lunch, and Izaya was picking out the sushi with a sheepish grin on his face, neither one said anything though. "That's quite a story," Kadota was surprised by what Izaya had found out, he'd only gone to the gift shop to tell the owner about Kimori. "But if he can show the camera footage to the cops, and is willing to show Shizuo too, then that'll get him to see the truth."

Izaya frowned, he couldn't help but think about that story; for some reason, it had him curious. "Maybe."

"Maybe? Isn't that what you wanted?"

Izaya nodded, but his frown remained. Shinra looked at him, he knew when Izaya had something on his mind, and he could take a guess about what he was thinking now. "Izaya, do you believe in the story he told you?"

Izaya looked over at him and shrugged. "I don't know, the origin of the story is extremely old, ancient even, I doubt it's true…. I just can't help but be curious."

"Maybe that's why the old man said Pandora's box, he probably sensed your inquisitive nature or something."

The raven rolled his eyes, then he looked at Kadota. "Dota-chin, did you talk to Shizu-chan?"

Kadota sighed. "Tried to, but of course, she was there, so I couldn't really talk about the whole thief thing. She must know that we would try and convince him, I don't think she'll leave his side unless she really has to."

"You both have Math together, she's not in that class, so maybe you could try then."

"Good idea." Izaya stood up, a sudden determined look on his face. "Oi, where are you going?"

Izaya looked down at him, trying his best to pull off an innocent expression. "Library."

Kadota frowned at him. "No, you're not, I know that look, what are you up to?"

Izaya sighed. "I'm going to see if the box is in her locker."

Shinra's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? what if she catches you, or worse, what if Shizuo does?"

Izaya grinned at him. "I won't get caught."

Kadota shook his head and then stood up, grasping Izaya's shoulder. "This is a really bad idea."

"Worried?" Izaya's grin widened when Kadota huffed in annoyance.

"What makes you think it's in her locker anyway?" Izaya shrugged off his hand and stepped backwards.

"Just a guess, have to start somewhere."

"Izaya," Shinra called his name, Izaya looked at him and the bespectacled boy frown with worry, Izaya smiled and then his expression became serious.

"Shinra, I'm not saying I believe the story about the box, but if it is and she opens it, who knows what might happen."

"Just be careful."

Izaya nodded and then looked at Kadota. "I'll go when you and Shizu-chan have Math. I can avoid getting caught by him at least. Talk to him, okay?"

Kadota didn't like this, but Izaya was determined, and he knew his friend was only looking out for Shizuo, that much he could tell. Izaya would not be doing this if he didn't care, if only Shizuo could see that. _Maybe I could explain it while I talk to him about Kimori. _"All right Izaya, we're on your side, but I'm not going to force him to listen, if he really doesn't believe me, then I'm going to accept that."

Izaya just smiled and then left the rooftop.

Shinra and Kadota shared a glance, wondering if they should have followed him, at least to keep an eye out.

The bell rang, and they hurried to their classes instead.

…

Izaya peered down into the locker area from his position on the staircase, sighing in relief that no one was around. He grinned and then jumped off the last steps, he had seen which one was her locker by now, so finding it wasn't the problem. Izaya stood in front of it, head tilted in thought, he didn't have time to search the school's data for her combination lock. He certainly didn't have time to take random guesses. Pulling out his knife with a grin, he could probably pry the thing open, they weren't all that strong anyway. Before he could try though, a voice almost startled him.

"What are you doing with my locker?"

Izaya flinched and cursed his luck. Slipping his knife back into his pocket, he turned around to meet her gaze. Izaya smirked at her as she came toward him. "Just doing all I can to expose you."

Kimori gasped and shook her head. "I didn't take anything, why won't you believe me?"

Izaya chuckled and took a step closer to her. "Come on, cut the act, it's just us."

Kimori stepped back from him, eyes wide with surprise. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You took that box, I will expose you and get it back, I went to the gift shop and he knows all about it." Her eyes grew wider and Izaya swore he saw panic on her face. "Didn't think about camera's, did you, the owner will see you take the box and he's also agreed to show it to Shizuo." Izaya was hoping that by telling her, she might reveal more of her true intentions.

Kimori didn't change her demeanour, she reached for his arm to grasp it, but he stepped back. "Please, I don't know why you're doing this to me, I didn't do anything wrong, I – I would never steal."

Izaya narrowed his eyes, becoming slightly agitated, he slammed his fist on the locker so hard that it dented. "I saw you take it!" he winced slightly, taking his hand and rubbing the abused knuckles. "How could you just deny something like that? I watched you and the cameras will prove that, just admit it already." Kimori looked close to tears, Izaya wasn't fooled by that, he would not allow himself to be under the same false beliefs as Shizuo. "Have you opened it?"

Kimori blinked at him in surprise. "What?"

"The box, did you open it?"

Kimori shook her head. "It wouldn't open."

Izaya smirked at her and she suddenly realised her mistake. She turned to run and Izaya grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. "Where is it!?" he shouted in her face, her eyes were wide as she struggled in his grip. "Just give it back and I will tell the owner not to press charges!"

Kimori shrieked and tried to yank her hand away, "Let go! Please let go!"

"Tell me where the box is!"

Izaya hissed when her foot collided hard with his shin, she yanked her hand free and then ran. Izaya ran after her, jumping over the bench, he reached the opened door and realised she was gone already. He sighed and turned to head back up the stairs, he glanced at the locker, if she had it in there, she wouldn't have left so abruptly. "So much for that plan."

…

Kimori ran as fast as she could, tears clouding her vision, she looked back to see if Izaya was following her, but she didn't see anyone. She slowed down, turning around, only to run straight into the side of a door as it opened. Kimori whimpered as she landed on her ass, covering part of her face. "Ow…"

"Oh, my dear, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there, are you alright?" It was a female teacher; she knelt and took Kimori's arm to help her up.

Kimori winced and chuckled as she looked up at her. "I'm fine… I think, I'm always bumping into things, should watch where I'm going really."

"Are you sure I shouldn't take you to the nurse? Your face has swollen slightly already."

Kimori shook her head with a smile. "No, honestly, I'm fine. I'll just put a cold paper towel over it. can't miss my next class."

The woman tutted in defeat. "Okay, but if it gets worse, go home."

Kimori smiled at her and then entered back into the school. Once the teacher was out of sight, she ducked into the toilets and stood in front of the mirrors. She leaned forward, groaning at the throbbing as she lightly prodded the growing bruise just under her eye. "Damn, this sucks." She pulled out a small circular object and lifted the lid of the powdered substance, swiping the pad over the top a few times. "Better cover this, I don't want Shizuo seeing me in this state," as she raised the pad to her face, fully intending to cover up the bruise with makeup, she stopped suddenly. She gasped lightly and then a grin began to form on her face. "Or maybe I do."

….

Kadota sighed in frustration, he still hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Shizuo; why of all times did their teacher pick today to give them a test. He glanced at the blond as the bell rang to end the class, the students stood up with scraping chairs. Kadota quickly gathered his books and jogged to walk beside Shizuo as they left their class. "Yo, Shizuo. You got a minute?"

Shizuo looked at him with a shrug. "Sure, what's up?"

"Erm, well, it's about Kimori…"

Shizuo frowned then. "What about her?"

Kadota flinched under the blond's sudden glare. "She's-"

"Shizuo!"

The two turn their attention down the corridor and Kadota groaned in dismay. _Speak of the devil. _

Shizuo grunted in surprise when Kimori threw herself into his arms. "Hey, Kimori, what happened? Why are you shaking?" the girl looked up at him then, her eyes clouded with tears, Shizuo noticed the bruise at once, it was swollen and dark red with hints of purple.

Shizuo growled in anger. "What the fuck happened to your eye!?"

Kadota blinked in surprise.

Kimori clutched at Shizuo's shirt. "I was so scared. Izaya confronted me just now in the locker area, he kept asking me to give back the box, and told me that if I did, then he wouldn't tell the cops. I tried to run away, but he grabbed me and pushed me into the locker, when I kicked him in the shin, he-"

Shizuo's eyes widened in rage. "He what, what did he do Kimori!?"

Kimori's eyes watered. "He hit me!"

Kadota almost choked, she couldn't be serious? Izaya was an asshole to her, but he would never –

"He fucking what!" Shizuo screamed in rage, he was fuming. "That's it, I'm going to fucking kill him! he's so dead!"

Kadota's eyes widened and he grabbed Shizuo's arm. "You don't seriously believe he hit her, do you!?" it couldn't be, he refused to believe that.

Shizuo turned to him in anger, pointing at her face. "Look at her eye! Does that look like she's lying to you!?"

Kadota frowned. "Think about what you're saying! You really think Izaya would punch her? Or better yet, would he even lay a finger on a girl at all!?"

Shizuo gritted his teeth, his breathing erratic, there was no way he was calming down. Kimori stared at him with fear and clung to his arm. "I'm sorry Shizuo, I just wanted to get away, I didn't mean to cause him to lash out… I was scared."

Shizuo turned to her, wrapping his arms around her. "You don't have to apologise Kimori. What he did was unforgiveable, and I'll deal with it." Shizuo glared in anger, his eyes shone with hatred.

Kadota shook his head, he couldn't believe it, there was no way! No way Izaya hit her. "Shizuo, you can't believe this, surely."

Kimori looked up at the blond. "Walk me home?" she lay her head on his arm. "He might follow me."

Shizuo kissed the top of her forehead. "He wouldn't dare." Then he led her away, Kadota stared after them, if Shizuo spotted Izaya anywhere right now -

There would be no way of stopping him. He quickly pulled out his phone to contact Izaya, he had to warn him.

Kadota waited for the raven to answer, he frowned when the calm voice of his friend sounded down the phone. "Izaya, tell me you left the school already."

Izaya frowned as he stopped beside the street corner. "I have, why?"

Kadota sighed in relief. "Good. I'd stay away if I were you."

Izaya chuckled. "Okay, now I'm curious, what for?"

Kadota clenched his fist, he still couldn't believe it. "Shizuo is going to be after you."

Izaya raised an eyebrow, Kadota sounded serious. "Did he find out about the locker incident?"

Kadota frowned then. "Izaya, did Kimori catch you today?"

Izaya continued to walk home, he wasn't going to mention that, but now – "She caught me by her locker, I told her to give the box back, she carried on denying it. when I asked if she had opened it, she slipped up and said that it wouldn't."

Kadota's eyes widened. "She confessed?"

Izaya smirked. "By accident."

"What happened after that?"

Izaya didn't like where these questions were leading. "Why? Has she said something to Shizu-chan?"

Kadota sighed. "She's got a black eye."

Izaya's eyes widened and he froze. "I didn't hit her."

"I believe you, I do, it's just – she ran to Shizuo crying and told him that you did."

Izaya gripped the phone. "I didn't hit her. I – I grabbed her wrist to stop her from running away, but I didn't – she kicked me in the shin, and then she ran. I didn't go after her."

"I believe you Izaya, I swear. It's just-"

Izaya frowned, unlocking the door to his home and walked into the small bedroom. "He believed her, didn't he?"

Silence ensued and Izaya didn't need to hear the reply, he ended the call and threw his phone at the wall. "You bitch!"

**A/N: ****Ok, I swear this is paranormal, just not a scary arc. I have other ideas for scary ones, but - since I want to make a sequel of this story, I'm saving them :)**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.**

**What do you guys think about Kimori? hating her right? lol**


	24. Keepsake part 2

**A/N: **

**Hey!**

**Just want to thank everyone for their reviews. We're coming to the end of the story soon (2 more to go after this) and it's been so fun to write. Maybe I lost readers over time, I don't know, but thank you to everyone who read and commented, you all kept me going and I couldn't have done it without you all!**

**Thank you so much.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy the next chapter**

Izaya woke up with a wince, shutting his eyes at the bright sun reflecting in his window, he really should get some blinds for that. he struggled to push himself up from the futon, damn his head hurt. Izaya swung his legs over, and stood up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He swayed a little on his feet when he bent down to retrieve some clothes from his two draws. Grasping the shelf, he waited for the dizziness to pass. "God…. Why do I feel like shit?" Izaya blinked at the hoarseness of his voice, he couldn't be sick, it was the beginning of July! Shaking it off, he took his clothes into the bathroom to get ready for school. Because he was not going to be scared off by Shizuo, he needed to be there for him, no matter what. "Whether he wants to beat me or not…" Izaya coughed to clear the croakiness in his voice, he reached up and turned the shower on. Glancing in the mirror, he frowned, he really did look like shit. "Whatever…"

Shinra ran up to Izaya when he spotted him at the school gates; the raven turned to him with a raised eyebrow, why was Shinra panicking? "What?"

"Izaya! you shouldn't be here! are you crazy?"

Izaya didn't think he looked that back for Shinra to notice already, but then he realised, he was talking about Shizuo. "Dota-chan told you?" Shinra nodded and Izaya sighed. "I can't stay away just because Shizu-chan is an ignorant idiot, I'm not going to hide away from him."

Shinra gaped, the one-time Izaya didn't want to hide. "Izaya, I'm really worried, what if-" he stopped when he realised the raven wasn't listening. "Izaya?" Izaya glared, clenching his fists, Shinra turned around and then saw the result of his friend's anger. Kimori. She was walking across the school grounds, smiling and waving at someone she knew. "Don't do anything stupid, you need to stay away from her."

Izaya looked at Shinra with gritted teeth. "She told Shizu-chan that I hit her Shinra, I can't let that go, if Shizu-chan comes after me then-" Izaya looked up when Kimori began to walk toward them, Izaya's eyes narrowed, because he really couldn't stand her. "Get the fuck away from me."

Kimori blinked at his words, she then frowned at him. "Shizuo is mine." And then she just left.

Izaya and Shinra glanced at each other, the raven's frown replaced by confusion.

"That was odd, don't you think?"

Izaya nodded, there was no other context, just a blunt statement and then – nothing. Izaya sighed heavily, he wasn't feeling up to any of his classes today, and the day already felt like the worst. "Let's just get this day over with."

Shinra frowned as he fell in step with his friend, now he had time to look at him, really look. "You don't look so good you know, are you feeling okay?"

Izaya rolled his eyes, he wondered when Shinra was going to notice. They reached the locker room and he tweaked his dial until it clicked open, he toed off his shoes, replacing them with the black sandals and placed his bag inside. His eyes glanced over for a moment, looking at the locker that was Kimori's, there was a dent, caused by none other than him. Izaya sighed again, he'd been doing a lot of that lately. "I'm fine, just tired." Shinra snorted and Izaya frowned at him, his attention steering away from the locker. "What, don't believe me?" he really didn't expect his friend to believe him, Shinra was way too perceptive when it came to him; the raven almost smiled, but he couldn't help but feel annoyed instead the moment Shinra shook his head. Tch. "Don't worry, I'm used to it by now." Izaya slammed his locker shut and then left him alone, storming up the stairs. Yeah, great start to the day, fucking fantastic.

Shinra stared after him with a pout, he hadn't meant to upset Izaya, he sighed and closed his locker, only to let out a shriek when Kimori was suddenly standing there, had she been standing there all this time? A hand to his chest, he let out a shaky breath before speaking. "You scared me." Kimori stared blankly at him, Shinra tilted his head and he was about to apologise, then he remembered what she had done, and he frowned. "You-"

"Your friend, the dark haired one."

Shinra's frown deepened, he was quite sure she knew his name, so what the hell was with that? "Izaya. what about him?"

"He and Shizuo were lovers before?" Shinra wasn't sure what she was getting at, but he wasn't going to answer her questions. He turned to leave, but she placed her hand on his chest and slammed him against the locker. "Shizuo is mine!"

Shinra, surprised by her outburst, let out a small squeak, what the hell had gotten into her? He found himself wanting to defuse her temper, so he decided to answer her. "Yes, you and Shizuo are together now, but what you said to Shizuo was despicable, Izaya would never hit you. I will find out the truth Kimori."

Kimori glared at him and raised her hand to slap him –

"Oi!" Shinra glanced over by the door, sighing in relief when he spotted Kadota. Perfect timing!

Kimori turned her head, Shinra's eyes widened and Kadota froze.

Her head –

She was looking at him now, but –

Her body hadn't moved.

"Holy shit."

Kimori then stepped away from Shinra and turned her body around. "Shizuo is mine." And then she ran up the stairs.

Kadota took slow steps toward Shinra, who was still staring after her, that just wasn't fucking normal. He turned to Shinra; the boy had become white as a sheet. "Are you okay?" Shinra barely managed a nod. "She was different, right?"

Shinra looked at him, eyes wide, what Kadota said was the understatement of the century. "Well she certainly wasn't acting normal! Her head turned all the way around!"

Kadota cringed, he didn't need Shinra to confirm that, he was stood there after all. "I noticed. Shit, we better tell Izaya."

Shinra then groaned at the mention of his friend. "Funny you should say that, because he's here."

Kadota blanched and then huffed. "God dammit." Kadota rolled his eyes, he specifically warned Izaya not to come to school, at least until Shizuo knew the truth. "Let's tell him about Kimori and hope that Shizuo doesn't attack him in the meantime. Kinda hoping that he's calmed down enough not to go looking for him at least."

….

Izaya rubbed his temples when he made his way up the steps leading toward the library, his headache hadn't let up, and he just wanted somewhere quiet for a while. The roof was occupied with those damn bullies of Shinra's, and he'd rather not have to deal with them today, because if he was truly honest, they might just succeed in kicking his ass this time. Only ever once succeeding before, and Izaya wanted to keep it that way, so, he had opted for the library. What better place to go for quiet anyway, it was mandatory wasn't it, having to be quiet?

He had been feeling crappy all day, and he still had at least three lessons to suffer through, so using his free period to maybe nap in the library was on the top list of his priorities. Why did he feel like this anyway? He felt fine, he was positive he had, no signs of getting sick at all. There was maybe a slight headache after he left the museum the day before, but he figured with all the information he had to process from the shop owner, who wouldn't have a headache? Now though, he just felt completely exhausted, and he hadn't even really strained himself today. With everything that had happened in the last month or so, perhaps getting sick wasn't so unexpected as he had thought. Stress. It was most likely stress; he had broken up with Shizuo, got told he had been discovered by a fucking Ouija board by his parents, he left his home, almost screwed his best friend out of desperation, nearly killed himself and – and now this, Kimori had set him up and Shizuo hated his guts.

Yeah, getting sick sounded very plausible now, and yet – he was still here, that had to count for something, right? though he was almost at his limit, in fact he was, just one more thing – just one more thing would surely push him over the edge, and nothing would save him this time, because this time, he wouldn't miss. Izaya had never pictured himself as the suicidal type before, but right now, or even ever since he had moved here, the thought always lingered at the back of his mind, not quite at the forefront, but it was forever there, it never left him.

The thought scared him, because he knew that those moments when he couldn't cope, they were just waiting, waiting for another situation to happen that would set it off again. The only reason he hadn't fallen victim this time – because he was sure it should have happened the moment Kimori set him up – the only reason it hadn't, was because of Shizuo. Izaya couldn't stand leaving him like this, trapped somewhat, left in ignorance and falling victim to that bitch. Shizuo was too kind for his own good; Izaya wasn't stupid, he could tell that Shizuo was happy with her, and it made him sick to his stomach, because it was this reason why he just couldn't fucking see it, he couldn't see anything in her apart from purity.

Izaya hadn't the slightest clue what the blond was thinking when he fell for her. If you compared his two relationships to one another, the first being himself, and the second being her, they were the exact fucking opposite! That thought alone made Izaya want to pull his hair out, of course, he knew the blond was bisexual, obviously. But he had thought that if Shizuo ever dated a female, it would be someone a lot closer to how he himself was, then someone like her – he just didn't get it! did Shizuo have different tastes when it came to males and females? He preferred his male companions strong minded, stubborn and just a tad on the obnoxious side. Yet he liked his female companions quiet, shy, clingy and overly emotional? How damn stereotypical was that? Izaya could use a whole bunch of other words to describe her, but they didn't count because Shizuo didn't know about them, or at least, he wasn't aware.

Izaya was sure he wasn't those traits all the time, he had a vulnerable side too, Shizuo had seen that on more then one occasion, and he didn't turn away from him, he was always there for him, so what did that mean? the more he thought about it, every time he thought he'd figured Shizuo out, he just became more confused. Now did that mean that Shizuo liked that side of him? because he knew deep down that he was mostly the opposite the rest of the time?

Kimori hadn't shown any other side to herself to Shizuo, so perhaps, that was the reason why the blond didn't see what others were seeing. Izaya had been as open with him as he possibly could, and that surprised him, did Shizuo not realise how much he had let him in? how hard it was for him to do that, they had gotten to a point in their relationship where Izaya felt comfortable enough around him to allow him to see such openness, such honesty. Of course, he hadn't ever told Shizuo about the scars on his arms, how he had thought about ending his life once or twice recently, because he didn't want Shizuo to tiptoe around him, or stay with him just because of that reason. Then Shizuo told him that he loved him, and Izaya couldn't take it, he didn't know how to be on the receiving end of those emotions. He had accepted that Shizuo cared about him, a lot, and somewhere at the back of his mind, he knew, he truly did, but Shizuo never said it and Izaya was fine with that. then he did say it, and he felt pulled into a reality he wasn't ready for, maybe he would never be ready for. Why did he have to say it? why! Ignorance was bliss! Couldn't he have just carried on acting like – he didn't know, why did Shizuo have to always be so – him.

Izaya cared about him, so much, he had even told Shizuo that, he had admitted to that, why wasn't that enough? Izaya clenched his fists as he stepped into the library, regardless of how he was feeling, and how much he was hurting, Izaya wasn't going to abandon him, no matter what Shizuo thought of him right now. The raven was going to help him, even if he had to do it without the blond's knowledge, and if they never became lovers or even friends again, Izaya didn't care. If he still felt like it was too much to handle, his life in general, then at least he would know that Shizuo was okay.

Izaya looked up from the floor when he came to the corner of where those comforters were placed. The best thing for him to have done, was to just go home, but he didn't want to appear as though he was avoiding Shizuo, when he really wanted to help him. Izaya wanted to be here, at the school, to keep an eye on Kimori every chance he got, from a distance of course. For now, all he wanted to do was rest.

"Shizuo is mine."

Izaya almost jumped out of his skin, he stiffened for a moment, and then turned around. His eyes widened slightly, he hadn't even heard anyone approach him, how long had she been behind him? had she followed him? Izaya frowned, trying not to get angry, but they were in a library, so anything that happened here, there'd be at least one witness if she decided to lie again. Izaya glanced over to the checkout desk, the librarian was there, stamping whatever books had been brought back; surely, he would notice if something _did _happen, or rather, didn't happen?

"Shizuo is mine."

Izaya's attention came back to the girl in front of him, was that all she could say now? She had been acting this way since the beginning of the day. The change in her posture, even her attitude had changed, she was way more confident, way more confronting then before. Izaya stared at her, there was nothing but a frown on her face, no trace of other emotions, at least, not right now.

When he saw her this morning, she had been smiling and acting normal, but then she saw him and that side of her vanished in an instant. Was she finally aware that he was a threat? Not threatening in a physical sense, but a threat to her relationship with Shizuo, because he had been with him before her, in female terms, he was the competition. Izaya couldn't help but smirk, he didn't care how ridiculously girlish the notion was, he was happy that he had gotten under her skin. His smirk disappeared then, just like she had gotten under his, except for an entirely different reason, his couldn't be helped, but hers?

"Shizuo – is – mine." Izaya sneered at her, he was growing tired of that already.

"Do you have to say that to keep it true? Is that your way of telling everyone to back off?" Izaya chuckled. "Do you think that'll work with me? I'm not going to be pushed away by the likes of you, Shizuo will see through your pathetic intentions, I will make sure of that."

Kimori continued to frown at him, Izaya glanced down and saw that her hands had balled into fists. She had never showed this side of herself before, and he didn't know what to think of it. "He belongs to me, and if I can't have him, no one can, therefore I will never leave him."

Izaya froze at her words, she didn't reply to anything he said, but those words she spoke – couldn't be what he thought she said, because they sounded awfully familiar, reminded him way too much of the merchant in the old man's story. His eyes widened, and suddenly, it was all too clear, it would explain why she was acting so differently, why she kept spouting that crap about Shizuo being hers. _She opened it. _

She opened the box and –

Izaya flinched just slightly, he had only been curious about the story, never really believed it to be true. Now that truth was staring him straight in the face, quite literally, and he was left feeling chilled. This couldn't be happening! How was this happening? He didn't expect – when he had been trying to get the box back, it was really to prove to Shizuo the truth, he didn't think the story was truly real – well, he was only thirty percent sure. Heh. Seventy percent of that had been his predictions for Kimori. Now, he was a hundred percent sure that the body of Kimori, had been taken over by a possible five-thousand-year-old Egyptian merchant spirit.

Izaya was prepared to deal with Kimori, whatever else she decided to pull, because he had realised just what kind of girl she was. only now he was left without the slightest clue how to deal with the spirit that possessed her. Judging from the story, she was one pissed off spirit, and that alone made her dangerous. However, Izaya did know one thing, he did not want her to know that he was aware of her. If she found out that he could sense and see spirits, became aware that both he and Shizuo had the ability to exorcise them, who knew what she could do. Another smirk crossed his features, displaying his all too calm attitude, but inside, he was almost nervous, possibly even scared. "If you say so." Izaya chuckled and simply walked past her without ever looking back. That wasn't out of character, right? she must have gained Kimori's memories of his personality when she took her over, he was sure that's how it worked. He wouldn't know for sure though, since he had only been possessed by a dog, there was no tangible way to know if the spirit gained any memories from their host.

She knew Shizuo's name though, but she could have heard it mentioned this morning in her presence while the blond had been with her.

Izaya let out the breath he was holding as soon as he left the library, placed his hands in his pockets because he hadn't noticed they were shaking. He had to find Shinra and Kadota, this wasn't something he could handle by himself; he was going to need them on his side. The raven stopped suddenly, his legs felt shaky and his sight blurred, dizziness became clear when his surroundings began to spin. Izaya closed his eyes, a hand to his head as he grasped the barrier leading to the stairs with the other. Crouching, he started to feel nauseous, his grip tightened when he felt himself sway. Frowning, he tried to shake it off, but he couldn't get his legs to straighten, he was almost sure he might pass out, but –

Had someone just called his name?

Blinking away the blurriness in his vision, or trying to, he tilted his head slowly to the side. Someone else was with him, he was positive he heard his name being called, god, why couldn't everything stop spinning just for a moment.

"Izaya?"

Izaya gritted his teeth, trying his damn hardest to focus, and suddenly there was a hand on his arm, it pulled him upright and the raven gasped. Soon, everything came back into focus, the dizziness stopped and the churning in his stomach calmed, dark spots clouded his vision for just a second as he adjusted to normalcy. He looked up, his eyes widened when he realised who had been calling his name just now, Shizuo.

Upon instinct, Izaya yanked his arm away and took a few steps back, he must have been having the worst luck today, he did not have the strength to deal with anything that Shizuo said or did right now.

So, the second Shizuo took a step toward him, Izaya turned abruptly and ran away.

Shizuo stared after him, his hand outstretched as if he was still reaching out. He had come up here to meet Kimori, he remembered rage building within him the moment he spotted Izaya in the corridor, then he watched him sway and was sure he might pass out, and the rage just – died. Shizuo hadn't stopped caring about him it seemed, even after everything Izaya had done, he still cared. He knew now that he probably wouldn't ever stop, because seeing him just now, caused a great deal of concern within him. Shizuo didn't know what was wrong, but he had wanted to help, reaching out for him had been out of habit. It wasn't until Izaya pulled away and looked at him with that – look, the fleeting looks of, fear? Did Shizuo understand what their encounters had done to them, what it caused between them. Shizuo had been so angry with him, so hurt by what he had said before, and what he and Shinra had done – that whatever Izaya did after that, just seemed to send him over the edge, over and over.

In just that one instance though, something snapped inside him, bringing him back from the edge he had been standing on this last month. He had never once stopped to think what Izaya might be thinking, how he might have been feeling, what the hell had been going through his fucking mind when he did what he did. Shizuo only wanted to move on, his anger took over when Izaya said those things to him in their homeroom, so he had no desire to see his side of things.

Seeing him like that, on the verge of collapsing – to what he could tell – his protective instincts that he had toward Izaya come rushing at him, and all he wanted to do was make him feel okay again. The funny part was, it had worked, whatever had caused Izaya to feel that way – was he sick? – whatever it was, stopped the moment he wrapped his hand around his small arm. Yes, it had worked, but Izaya ran away, because Shizuo had done nothing but threaten and gesture physical harm upon him, heck, he had already done that even.

That was why he hadn't pursued him, he didn't blame Izaya for running away from him, and yet, he couldn't help feeling like he should have, gone after him that is. Izaya wasn't one to ask for anyone's help so willingly, and Shizuo noticed right away that something was wrong. Taking a step forward, he decided to go and look for him, whether the raven wanted to be near him or not, Shizuo would do his best to convince him that he wasn't going to harm the damn flea. The anger he felt had subsided for now, at least until he made sure Izaya was okay, then he would confront him about all the crap he'd done, preferably without too much violence, or none at all, if he could really help it.

"Shizuo?"

Shizuo stopped upon hearing his name, he turned around and a smile crossed his face. "Kimori, I was waiting for you." Well, that was partially true, he had come up here to meet her after all, and yet, he was about to abandon her to go after Izaya. Shizuo sighed, he should really be honest with her, she had his trust, so he needed to make sure she could trust him. "Actually, I was coming up here to meet you, then I ran into Izaya, he looked kinda sick," Shizuo turned his head to stare at the empty corridor, then he turned back to her. "I was about to go after him when he ran off – just to see if he was all right, so, but you're here now and-" the blond was cut off when she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. Shizuo wrapped his own around her, had he said something wrong? He was only being honest, that was the right thing to do, right? "Hey, what's wrong? I'm sorry if you thought I-"

She looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes, a frown appeared on his face. Because he had only just realised, Izaya was here just now, and she had been in the library, had he just come from there? some of the anger that had subsided began to resurface until – "You're mine. You'll always be mine; I can't imagine not being with you."

Shizuo raised an eyebrow, well that was – sudden. They had only been dating three weeks, he had no idea she felt that way about him. Shizuo opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, what the hell was he supposed to say to that? okay, so he was aware how ironic this was, but when he told Izaya that he loved him, they had been dating for a lot more then three fucking weeks! What had it been? Six months, nearly seven? Well, it wasn't as long as it felt, but still, he wouldn't have said it if he didn't mean it, then again, he wouldn't have said it at all if he knew how Izaya was going to react. Never had he regretted something so much in his life, and it wasn't even something bad!

Shizuo tried to smile, realising that he hadn't replied to her, maybe it was okay, she hadn't said it – she hadn't said I love you, so maybe she was just thinking out loud? That didn't make him feel any better about the situation, but it was better than the former gesture. "Didn't know you felt that way." Shizuo cringed at his stupidity, now she was going to get the wrong idea altogether!

She smiled brightly. "Then you feel it too?"

Fuck.

"I – like you?" _Someone please – just kill me now! _

Her smiled faded and Shizuo instantly felt guilty, but did she want him to lie? "I should confess something to you, because that is what is required of me, my duty as your girlfriend."

Shizuo raised an eyebrow then, her duty? What is required? He had never heard her talk that way before, what the hell was happening? He had heard of love making people act weird, but this was just – no, not love, she hadn't said that, he was going to hold onto the possibility that he merely misunderstood her context. Wait – confess to what? "Huh?" god he was so at a loss for words, he sounded like a caveman, Shizuo smiled inwardly, heh. _Protozoan. _

Damn –

He missed that flea.

Fuck.

"I confess that I-"

…..

Shinra, Kadota and Izaya were sat in their little office room, at least they wouldn't be disturbed here. Izaya had called them here to tell them what he had discovered about Kimori – or rather – the spirit, only to find out that they too had had their own encounter and concluded already on their own. Izaya grimaced, though imagining what their reactions must have been like was a little amusing. "Turning one's head halfway around is probably a good sign that she's definitely possessed." More so then his own encounter with her, though it just proved his theory outright, now he was more then a hundred percent sure.

"What do we do now?" Shinra asked the question, having forgotten their little disagreement this morning, scratch that, because there was no disagreement, Izaya was just being – him. Once again, Shinra had just forgotten about it, he had even apologised for upsetting him, the idiot.

"Whatever we do, we can't just keep this from Shizuo now, he has a right to know that his girlfriend is possessed by a spirit, right?"

Izaya glared at him, unable to help but feel annoyed, Kadota looked at him and tilted his head, wondering what he'd said that caused the raven to get mad. Izaya watched him, probably repeating his sentence in his head, and then he saw his expression change, recognition of his words. _Girlfriend. _

Kadota sighed. "Sorry Izaya, but – well, she is. I can't sugar coat that anymore for you."

Izaya narrowed his eyes, but he calmed himself, he needed them, he couldn't afford to get angry at Kadota for something that the boy had no control over. "Forget about it, but you're right in what you said, Shizu-chan needs to know, for his own safety if nothing else." Izaya thought back to their last encounter, different to what their others had been like prior, it was as though Shizuo still – cared? It had been the first time in over a month that he had seen him express such a thing toward him, Izaya could still feel the warmth on his arm from the blond's simple touch, could still see the flicker of concern crossing his handsome features – Izaya looked down at his arm, tracing fingers that were no longer there with his own.

"Izaya?"

The raven looked up in surprise, feeling slightly embarrassed about his daydreaming. "Wha?" Izaya cringed. _Smooth. _He had always been articulate, expressive in his words, but that right there, was even more embarrassing then being caught daydreaming. Izaya shook his head, damn Shizuo for distracting him.

"I asked what you wanted to do now?"

Oh. Good question. Izaya stood up then, ignoring the light-headedness that motion caused, he sighed. "You two try and talk to Shizu-chan, if you can even get him alone."

Shinra frowned up at his friend, there was an obvious gesture in what Izaya said, saying that he was heading off somewhere by himself. No way, not happening, not in the state he was in. "I'll go with you."

Izaya looked at him with a smile. "Dota-chin will need your help convincing the brainwashed idiot."

Kadota rolled his eyes, letting his disapproval of Izaya's terminology known. "Izaya-"

Izaya glanced at him to acknowledge his aggravation, but his stare remained on Shinra. "Just go with Dota-chin, Shizu-chan needs you right now."

Shinra clenched his fists. "And what about you? something isn't right with you, I don't know what, but there is. I don't like the idea of you going anywhere by yourself."

Izaya sighed, sometimes Shinra was just too much. "I'm fine. I won't be long, don't worry about me, just focus on Shizu-chan," Izaya looked at his phone, noted the time and said. "I doubt I'll make it back in time before classes end, so I'll phone when I get home, or let you know the details later."

Kadota frowned, he was sceptical, he wasn't quite as worried as Shinra was being, but he could see his point, Izaya looked sick, had the raven not realised how pale he was? so yeh, he was concerned that Izaya was just going off by himself like that, but with all the lies and disbelief that had been thrown around lately, he figured Izaya needed someone to believe in _him _at the moment. "At least tell us where you're going." That was a fair request wasn't it?

Izaya chuckled, clearly amused by their over concern for him, they were not shy about that. "The museum, is that better?" Kadota looked like he still wanted to protest, the museum was at least a forty-minute train ride, maybe fifty. Izaya rolled his eyes. "Honestly, I'm all right, once I'm done with that, I'll go home and rest."

Kadota shook his head, because there was really no sincerity in Izaya's tone, but if he said he was fine – Kadota had to believe him, whether he truly did or not, he wouldn't object. "Okay, you win. Just – be careful I guess."

Izaya smiled and nodded.

Shinra huffed and stood up. "But Izaya-"

Kadota quickly put a hand on his shoulder, stopping Shinra in whatever he was about to say. "Let's go and talk to Shizuo, Izaya will be fine."

Shinra pouted then and then slumped. "He's not going to listen to me! I'm quite sure he hates me." Kadota didn't listen, he grabbed hold of Shinra's shirt and simply dragged him out of the room.

Izaya chuckled with amusement as they left, then his smile disappeared, replaced with a frown as he sat himself on the couch. He let out a shaky breath and ran his clammy hand through his hair. Shaking his head, he stood back up and then left the room. "I don't have time to ponder a fever right now."

…..

The old man smiled at Izaya when the boy walked into the shop, he chuckled and walked around counter to greet him. "I'd suggest a free pass for you, if the museum wasn't already free."

Izaya shrugged lightly and then smiled, placing his hands in his pockets. He was only glad to be off the train, he hadn't expected it to be that crowded today, it was so stuffy and hot, Izaya really thought he was going to faint. "Did you find the camera footage?" it had occurred to him that he didn't even know the man's name, and since he was about to request something peculiar, he probably should become more acquainted. "I'm Orihara, Izaya, by the way."

A hand rose enthusiastically in greeting, followed by a bright smile. "Sasuki, Roji." Izaya took his hand, glad the exchange of pleasantries was over, now he could ask his questions. "I found the footage, I burned a copy for you, so I'm glad you stopped by again, of course, I would have phoned you."

Izaya followed him over to the paying counter, he glanced behind and noticed that the samurai Shizuo liked was still there, he shook his head, he wasn't here for that. "About the black box." He should go straight to the point. Izaya watched the man tense at the mention of it, Roji turned to him with a smile though, how odd.

"Did you find it?"

Izaya shook his head. "No, sorry. There's a bigger problem."

"Oh?"

Izaya sighed, he wasn't sure how this was going to sound to him, as far as Roji was concerned, the story was just – a story, a myth. Probably. "I need you to keep an open mind about what I'm going to say."

Roji chuckled, leaning over the display case. "Always do, I work in a museum after all."

Izaya gave him a tight smile. _Not a great comparison there, but it'll do. _"When you told me the story, you asked if I believed in it."

Roji smiled. "Changed your mind eh?"

Izaya cringed inwardly. _More like someone changed it for me. _"You could say that, you said that the story suggests to never open the box, that her spirit will be free, and she'll seek revenge." Izaya watched his expression carefully, looking for any of the nervousness he had displayed a moment ago, but Roji just nodded.

"That's right," Roji smiled and placed his palms flat on the surface. "Are you telling me that you really did find it, and you opened it?"

Izaya shook his head, where in his statement had he suggested that he opened it? or even had it to start with. "No, I don't have it. I didn't open it, but she did."

Silence.

Yep, there it was, that nervous expression, it looked more like fear. "She opened it?"

Izaya nodded. "I'm positive."

Roji took a step back, he huffed a laugh, but Izaya could tell he was worried. "How do you know?"

Izaya opened his mouth to reply, he was going to tell him about his abilities, but for some reason, his gut was telling him not to. "A hunch." Believable, he hoped.

"A hunch?"

Izaya shrugged with a laugh. "A good hunch. Look, you don't have to believe me, I was just wondering if you knew anything else about the story, something that might explain how to entrap the spirit again if released? Or even exorcise her for good?" Izaya took his hands out of his pockets, laying them on the glass, his face took on a seriousness. "This must sound crazy to you, I realise that, but – if the spirit really is possessing her, then it poses a threat to my-" Izaya's heart clenched for a moment, because it still hurt not to refer to Shizuo as anything but his boyfriend. "My friend."

Roji tilted his head in thought, he paced a couple of times and then stopped. "I can't think of anything else that might help. I just told you what I was told, it's really nothing more than a myth."

Izaya gritted his teeth then, had he even listened to a word he said? "It's not. It's real, the spirit is inside my friend's girlfriend," ugh, now he really did feel sick. "Whatever, like I said, you don't have to believe me, but can you think of anything at all?"

Roji sighed. "Have you tried researching the story? I never thought about it, but it might help you," Roji slid a blank piece of paper over, he wrote on it and then handed it to Izaya. "This is a private website, it's only used by a select few here at the museum, me included, it's also used by at least two archaeologists, it's content has some rare finds that aren't even public knowledge. Perhaps your story is there."

Izaya took the slip of paper with surprise. "Thank you, this might really help."

"Not a problem. The site isn't easily found unless you know the address of course, it's also protected by a password, which I've written below."

Izaya nodded. "I really appreciate this."

Roji smiled. "My pleasure. Perhaps that crystal I gave you really is lucky."

It took a little while for Izaya to remember what he was talking about. "Right. yes, the geode, maybe." He'd forgotten about that, he placed it on his window seal and just forgot. "Well, thank you for the help."

Roji then leaned over the counter and brought a squared case with him. "Don't forget this, the disc I burned."

Izaya took it with a smile and then left the shop; he had some serious researching to do tomorrow. Too bad it really did have to wait until tomorrow, because he had no internet at home, so he could only use it at school.

…..

Kadota looked at his phone and rolled his eyes, Shinra glanced at him, tilting his head in questionable silence. Kadota then showed Shinra the message he had received from Izaya. 'I'm home! Safe and sound~'

Shinra chuckled, though he was very relieved to see that message, a little disappointed that he hadn't received one, but he was glad to know that Izaya was okay. His phone bleeped and he pulled it from his pocket, couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. 'Didn't forget about you! so don't sulk. See you both tomorrow x.'

Kadota snorted. "Happy now?" Shinra nodded sheepishly. The two were stood at the exit of the school, waiting for Shizuo, they had convinced him to spend time with them, and it was the perfect opportunity to talk to him, alone. Finally. "I hope he listens; I hope he doesn't just think we're making it up."

Shinra shook his head. "It's Shizuo, he should know we wouldn't make up something like this, we don't joke about the paranormal world."

Kadota looked toward the school with a frown. "Yeah…. but what if he really fell for her? He already believes that Izaya hit her and refuses to believe that she could steal anything. I'm just worried we're not going to get through to him."

"Don't think that, besides, he listens to you, I'm sure it'll all work out. Even if it doesn't, eventually, he's going to notice for himself, about the spirit I mean, if nothing else."

Shizuo growled angrily as his fist repeatedly pounded against the wall on the school roof, several cracks marred the brickwork, there were tear tracks down his face. "How could I be so damn stupid!" he hated himself, he didn't think he could look any of his friends in the face again, and Izaya – oh god, he would never forgive him for believing those things. That wasn't to say that the raven was innocent in this, but – for his part, Shizuo was distraught, completely and utterly ashamed. The blond fell to his knees, still smashing his fists at the wall, though lighter now, he had to get away from those around him, lest they feel his anger. He come up here to vent, and damn he fucking needed it, why! Why had he – god, he didn't know what to do, where to turn….

Kimori had told him the truth, that she really had taken the black box, Shizuo had listened to her side, honestly believed that she did it on impulse, that it wasn't out of spite. She had even been willing to return the box with him tomorrow and hope that the owner didn't call the cops, if he hadn't found out already.

That wasn't the reasons for his anguish, no, that he could let go, he could forgive her for that; it was what he had found out after that had him feeling like the worst person in the world. He had told her that Kadota and Shinra had invited him to catch a movie, or mess around in the arcades for a while, maybe even just go get some food; it had been his choice apparently. She said she wanted to spend time with him after school, but for amends to what she did, she wanted him to spend time with his friends. The part that had got to him, even though at the time, he understood her point, was that she said, 'Only if Izaya wasn't going to be there.' it was what he had said to her in response to that, had just added to his anguish later on. 'I wouldn't hang out with someone who hurt you.'

Shizuo gripped his hair and howled in rage. "Fuck!"

_Shizuo smiled as he stood up from his chair, the bell had rung, it was the end of the day. He was looking forward to spending time with his friends, well, one friend, because him and Shinra still weren't really talking. Regardless, it had been sometime since he had hung out with them, and he couldn't wait. He gathered his books and walked toward the door, his friends were going to wait by the gates, he didn't want to keep them waiting too long. _

"_Oh, Heiwajima-kun, just one moment?"_

_Shizuo groaned inwardly, of all the times she could have spoken to him about his work, she picks now. Shizuo turned around with a sigh and walked over to his teachers' desk. he hated this class, though it mostly had to do with the fact that he didn't like anybody in it, none of his friends were in it, nor Kimori. Languages. He knew it wasn't a reason to hate the class, but he had problems concentrating at the best of times, at least if one of his friends were in the class, even Izaya, he could ask them for help. "Sorry about the test last week, I'll do better." It was the first thing he thought of to say, what else could he say? Though he might have tried to sound a little more meaningful. Oh well._

_She smiled though and shook her head. "Your test was fine, you got a 60, not the highest or excellent marks, but not as bad as you thought. The passing mark is 50, so good job."_

_Oh. Wait, what? "I passed?"_

_She nodded at him. "I wasn't supposed to tell you yet, you'd have got it in the post. But you seemed concerned so, just don't tell anyone." She smiled and he chuckled. _

"_So, what did you call me back for ma'am?" _

"_You're dating Ai Kimori, right?"_

_Shizuo blinked in surprise, was it normal for teachers to be aware of who their students were dating? And Kimori wasn't even in this class. "Yes, I am."_

"_How's her eye?"_

_Shizuo's eyes narrowed slightly, but he wasn't going to tell this teacher how she got it. "It's fine, nothing too bad." Shizuo wondered why she was asking him, he seriously hoped to god that she didn't assume that he'd done it, because he really would lose his shit. _

"_That's good, I was concerned there for a moment."_

_Shizuo tensed, she seriously wasn't going to, was she? "She's fine."_

"_I think she was quite embarrassed," she giggled. _

_Shizuo's frown lightened, embarrassed? Why should she feel embarrassed?_

"_I would be too if I ran into a door like that."_

_The blond stiffened then, what did she say? "Ran – into – a door?" fuck no! no way, Izaya punched her!_

_The teacher nodded. "She ran into the door just as I opened it, I didn't expect anyone to be right there, I told her to go to the nurse's office, but she said she was fine. She only had one class to go after all, I assumed it was her extracurricular, since it was just coming up past the end of lessons."_

_Shizuo had to be dreaming, he had to be, because what the teacher was telling him, it couldn't be true! "Today?" maybe she already had the black eye and she just used the running into the door as convenient cover?_

"_Huh? No, yesterday."_

_Fuck._

_No way. _

_It wasn't – then Izaya hadn't – _

_Shizuo felt himself becoming angry quickly, he needed to get the hell out of here. Kimori, she had lied, lied directly to him, and – he believed her! He believed that Izaya had really hit her! Shizuo clenched his fists, nodded in the teacher's direction and then quickly left. _

Kadota and Shinra glanced up at the roof when a loud yell caught their attention. They then looked at one another, instantly reaching the same conclusion. Shizuo!

By the time the two bursts through the door of the roof however, their blond friend was no where in sight.

…..

Izaya felt around for his phone in a haze of sleep, he couldn't even remember when he had even fallen asleep in the first place. He remembered thinking about the story and how he was going to plan his research, remembered wondering if Shizuo had listened to Kadota and Shinra today, if they even had a chance to talk to him. today? Was it still today?

Izaya rolled over with a groan, he felt awful, worse than before. he sat up lightly when his hand finally brushed past his phone, it hadn't stopped ringing, and that was doing his head no favours. It was dark, so he must have been asleep for a while. Taking a hold of his phone, Izaya flipped it open and grunted in greeting.

"Izaya!"

Izaya winced heavily, pulling the phone away from his ear, speaker phone would be best. The raven frowned, was that –

"Izaya! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Pushing himself up, he opened his eyes, his body felt so heavy, and he could feel his clothes clinging to his skin. "Shizu-chan…?" dizziness overtook him instantly when he tried to sit upright, so he opted for laying down instead.

"You were right…you were right about everything! I'm so sorry…. I – I don't know what to do…. I'm so – I can't even-"

Izaya held his head. _Please stop yelling…. Fuck. _

"Izaya, how could I be so stupid… I'm so sorry!"

Izaya frowned, though it was out of concern now, he shifted onto his side, shivering – why the hell was he so cold? "Shizu-chan…. calm down…. tell me what happened…." Izaya wrapped the blanket around himself, he couldn't stop shivering.

Shizuo told him everything then, about Kimori's confession to stealing the box, to how he found out the truth about her eye. He was frantic, Izaya could tell how guilty he was feeling, though Izaya still couldn't understand that Shizuo could believe it at all. He was mad at him, pissed even, and yet, right now, he couldn't bring himself to hang up, despite how sick he was feeling.

Izaya sighed, shifting up just the slightest bit. "Shizu-chan…. despite what has happened, there's something even more important going on. I can't explain it over the phone…. but I'll tell you everything tomorrow." He just wanted to go back to sleep.

"What?"

It sounded like Shizuo had calmed down, that was a good sign. He then had a thought – "Shizu-chan, did you confront her yet?"

There was silence for a moment and then – "No. I didn't trust myself; I was too angry…. Izaya-"

"Shut up. I need you to act like you don't know anything, like you never found out about the door hitting her eye."

"Why!? I can't do that!"

Izaya gritted his teeth, he couldn't explain why over the phone. "Just for once listen, just-" Izaya gasped when blinding pain gripped his abdomen, he curled up on his side, a small whimper escaped his mouth.

"Izaya? oi! Are you okay? Izaya!"

Izaya opened his eyes, a hand cradled his stomach, he breathed deeply and shifted toward the phone. "Sorry…. I just…. stubbed my toe."

Shizuo sighed loudly. "Fucking Christ, you scared the crap out of me."

Izaya managed to chuckle, though he was biting his knuckles to keep himself from expressing any pain. "Just do what I said, I'll explain later…. Okay?"

"Okay, I don't like it – but I – I trust you."

Izaya couldn't help but snort. _A bit fucking late. _"Go to sleep."

"Yeah… night."

The instant Shizuo hung up, Izaya shot up from the bed and dashed into the bathroom. He grabbed the sink tightly - since that was the closest – and vomited, he retched painfully, and his legs buckled. He collapsed on the tiled floor, panting in short breaths, he groaned and reached one hand to pull himself to his feet. "God…." Turning on the faucet, he cupped his hand and tipped water into his mouth, spitting out the disgusting taste left there. rinsing his mouth out with mouthwash, he glanced in the mirror, he could barely see anything, but he knew he didn't look good.

Izaya crawled his way back into his bed, pulling the blanket over his head and wrapped it around himself, now he really was cold. His skin felt like it was on fire and his stomach just felt like it was burning itself away. He almost wished he had kept Shizuo on the phone, because this couldn't be a common flu virus.

…..

The next morning, Izaya was glad that he was at least feeling better than he had last night. Meaning that he was able to stand up without the room spinning, he cringed at his reflection though, he was white, and his eyes were heavy. "I can't stay home…." He dragged his weak body out of the apartment, he needed to go to the school, he still had all that research to do.

"Izaya?"

Izaya jumped at the sound of his name being called, when the hell did he even get to school? He was sat on the bench in the locker area, head in his hands, crouched over. "Shizu-chan?"

Shizuo frowned at him, something was so very wrong here, he walked over and knelt in front of him. "What's wrong?"

Izaya tried his best to grin, but he just couldn't muster it, he sighed and retreated to his earlier position. "I don't know…."

Shizuo's frown deepened and he swatted Izaya's hands away, placing one of his own on the raven's forehead. "Your skin is burning Izaya! what the hell are you doing here?"

Izaya tried to stand up but Shizuo wouldn't allow it, he was held down by the strong hand on his shoulder. "Shizu-chan, I have work to do…" Shizuo gritted his teeth and Izaya frowned at him, though it barely had the effect he wanted it to.

"The hell you do! I'm taking you straight to the nurse, in fact, I should call an ambulance, because that temperature of yours is borderline dangerous." Shizuo took his phone out, but Izaya grasped his arm.

"Don't. I – I feel a little better."

Shizuo snorted. "Bullshit. D'you think I'm stupid enough to fall for that?"

Izaya couldn't help but retort – "You were stupid enough to believe I hit your girlfriend." The raven avoided his gaze then, because Shizuo looked incredibly dis-heartened at those words. "Seriously though, I actually do feel a little better." He wasn't joking either, that wasn't normal was it? now he thought about it, it happened in the corridor before too. One moment he was ready to collapse, and then Shizuo shows up and he was fine. Though he had gotten worse since then, but still, he felt better. "Sorry… my last comment…"

Shizuo shook his head. "No, I deserve that; also, ex-girlfriend."

Izaya sighed. "Not yet, I need you to play your part." He stood up, with Shizuo's help, and then lightly shoved him back. They hadn't been this close in some time; he didn't need his emotions running wild right now.

"You still haven't told me why."

Izaya nodded. "This might sound crazy at first – but bear with me."

"I'm listening." Izaya quickly gave him an explanation on what he had found out about the black box and its story. Shizuo appeared to be listening, though his expression looked nothing but confused. "Okay, so this black box holds some evil spirit woman, but what does that have to do with Kimori?"

Izaya frowned, he shoved Shizuo against the locker with whatever strength he had, fisting his hands in his shirt. "Did she take away the last of your brain cells?"

Shizuo glared at him, clenching a fist. "Just answer me!"

"Do I need to spell it out for you? If the box is opened, the spirit is freed. Shizuo, Kimori opened the box, she's-"

"Leave him!"

The two snapped their heads to the doorway, Kimori stood there, her hands balled into fists.

Shizuo stared at her, he hadn't ever seen her angry before, she looked – psychotic. Then –

Then he saw it –

The spirit.

It was briefly, but he saw it, Kimori was possessed by the spirit. He caught Izaya stepping back out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at him, the raven wanted him to act like he didn't know anything, now he knew why. Shizuo's attention snapped back to Kimori when she come storming toward them. "Kimori-" he tried to say, but her focus was on Izaya, and before either of them could react –

"Shizuo is mine!"

Shizuo's eyes widened as Izaya was flung backwards, grunting upon impact when his body hit the wall. "Shit…" he was about to dash toward him, but Izaya locked eyes with him quickly, Shizuo watched him shake his head and he got the hint. But – how could he just – Izaya couldn't expect him to leave him like that! it was obvious he was hurt from the blow, he was crouched, a firm grip on his shoulder. The blond noticed the water fountain next to him, Izaya might have hit the fountain, and not the wall like he had thought.

Shizuo stiffened when Kimori's arm wrapped around his. "I won't let him hurt you, love makes us strong."

He looked down at her when she looked up at him with a smile. How could he do this? He had liked Kimori, at least, before she done what she did, how did he not see it? now he couldn't even figure out what he saw in her…. She fooled him.

This girl, however, wasn't Kimori, this girl was plain fucking nuts! A spirit hell bent on some serious revenge, but then, why was she only defending him from Izaya? was it because they used to date? It was possible, given how the story went, yet, why did it have to be him she attached herself to?

Kimori led him toward the stairs, snapping him from his thoughts. He forced himself to link his fingers with hers, he glanced back at Izaya with concern, but the raven smiled and nodded.

…

Every chance he got, Shizuo stole glances over at Izaya, the raven looked worse than before, his arm wrapped around his head as he lay face down upon his desk, his other arm in a sling. Shinra had told him that the impact had dislocated his shoulder, and the bespectacled boy was not at all happy, but Izaya had defused the situation quickly, telling him that neither one expected it and that Shizuo's part in his plan was to pretend nothing was wrong. They couldn't afford Kimori to figure out any of them knew yet, not until Izaya had done his research.

The bell rang to signify the start of classes, the students rushed out of their seats to get to their first lesson. Shinra and Kadota shared a worried glance, they watched Izaya struggle to his feet, his hand supporting himself on the desk. "Izaya," Kadota spoke, "You shouldn't be here, something is seriously wrong with you, look at you, your fucking shaking."

Shinra lay his hand on Izaya's shoulder, he could feel the heat coming off him, even through his clothes. "Izaya, he's right, you'll only make yourself worse."

Izaya smiled briefly, placing his hand over Shinra's. "We – can't stop – yet – I have research – to do," he looked at him through half lidded eyes, still with that slight smile. "Help me – to our office, please?"

Shinra looked at Kadota who sighed in annoyance, Shizuo looked at them from the doorway, a hand clenched. He should be with them, he should be at Izaya's side right now, he felt so damn useless. He tore himself away, guilt clutching at his heart, painfully, wanting nothing more then to hold that damn flea.

…..

Izaya slammed his hand on the desk, he had high hopes for this site, but he still came up with nothing. He couldn't find a single thing related to the story or a black box made to seal spirits. His concentration was wavering, his head fucking hurt, and his hair was clinging to his forehead. Why could he not find anything? It began to grate on his last nerves, to the point where he wanted to fling the computer out of the window.

He groaned as he lay his head against the desk, its temporary cold texture cooling his skin. "Shit…" he could barely keep upright, he felt so weak, his temperature hadn't dropped, in fact, he was sure it had increased. He felt sick, and he wanted to give in to the darkness and just – sleep. "I have the worst luck…" Izaya frowned then, hadn't he heard something about luck recently? he pushed himself to sit up, though slowly so as not to trigger any dizziness. What was it…?

"_It might look like an ordinary geode crystal," _

"_This one however, is supposed to give the owner protection or something, it's given me quite the luck over the years."_

"_Consider it a token of my gratitude, a gift for all your honesty, and for listening to an old coot like me."_

Izaya's eyes widened slightly, it couldn't be. "That crystal…." He had been feeling ill ever since he had gotten back from the museum the first time, right after Roji gave him that geode. He didn't want to believe it, but it could not be a coincidence, and suddenly, everything had a whole new meaning. Izaya opened a fresh browser page, he started his keyword search without the Egyptian details, and without mentions of a black box or any hauntings. He scanned through his new links, they looked more promising then anything he had come across so far. Then he stopped, there on the second page, something caught his attention. He clicked on the link and it took him to a news article, frowning, he ignored the exhaustion of his body's weakened state and read through it.

The story printed –

Matched the story Roji gave him –

But with one stark difference.

Izaya gasped and his body shook for a whole different reason. "It was him; it was him all along." Scrolling down, he then found two pictures to go with the print. "That picture…."

"_My late wife, heh, wasn't I a stunner back then. She was too, everyone said we were a cute couple."_

"_She looks sad."_

"_I travelled a lot, could never quite stand to be in one place for long. but I loved her, and always came back to her."_

Izaya clenched his fists, the story – it was them! Izaya glanced at the second picture, the woman from the photo was in it, but she was with someone different, and Izaya couldn't help but think he looked a lot like Shizuo. Blond hair, tall, handsome, slim built but slightly muscular. The more he found, the more everything began to click into place.

Roji had been nervous the moment he realised the box was missing –

He might have sensed Izaya's intellect and guessed he would figure it out –

"He fed me that Egyptian scene to throw me off, it didn't come from thousands of years ago, it came from him…. his late wife…. thirty years ago." The story was true, though the article didn't specify on any black box or mention any paranormal matter. "How…. how is that – sick… how is he not rotting in prison?" the article read that the blond in the photo had murdered the woman, but Izaya knew better, there was no way, he was not the victim in this! He could have been honest, could have said that the story was about him and his wife, but he must have known Izaya would figure it out too quickly. He didn't know how he knew Roji was responsible, he just did. The man gave him that crystal, to keep him from finding out, to curse him or whatever. Which would certainly explain why Shizuo's presence influenced the curse whenever he was near him, why he had begun to feel better during those times.

Izaya gasped. "I told him she opened the box…." He stood up, maybe a little too quickly, his head fogged, and his vision blurred.

He had to tell them what he had found.

Kimori's involvement in this really was just a coincidence, he hated her, he despised her, but unfortunately, she was a victim in this too, and he had put Shizuo in danger by telling Roji that the spirit was freed. He wasn't going to just leave them alone, he knew their school, he knew what they looked like – because Izaya had told him.

He was so angry with himself. "It's all my fault…. if I hadn't gone to the shop and told him about the box…." Izaya stumbled on his way to the door, desperately needing to get to his friends, he had to warn them. "Shizu-chan…." Darkness replaced his vision, he grabbed his head, the room span and suddenly –

His body collapsed to the floor.

**A/N: ****The final part of the story will be revealed next time, but betting you guys have already figured it out **

**Hope you enjoyed!**


	25. Keepsake part 3

**A/N: I really hope you guys enjoy this final chapter of the keepsake arc, followed by the very final chapter of Ghost Hunt Club.****Once again, I want to thank each one of you, you guys have been my absolute support and inspiration.****I couldn't thank you enough for all your reviews over the time I have been writing this story.****I decided to post the last two chapters at once, since the last one is quite short. I really hope the ending does it justice.**

**Thank you again!**

_Izaya opened his eyes slowly, looking up into light brown eyes that were gazing down at him softly. The raven froze for a moment, his body felt different, light and – wasn't he sick? Yeah, he was sick, feverish and exhausted; but he didn't feel any of those things right now, and his heart fluttered ever so slightly, just from that gaze on him, hands reached up to grasp his arms lightly. Izaya opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, he wanted to apologise, he wanted to hold this person close to him and tell him how much he cared, how much he had missed him. _

_This person meant so much to him, and he couldn't even tell him so. "Shizu-chan…" the moment that name rolled off his tongue, he frowned slightly, because recognition became clear then – no, not Shizuo, someone that looked like him for sure, but it wasn't him. Izaya's hand lifted to cup the blond's face, he glanced at it, it was smaller wasn't it? his hand, more – feminine. Something did finally pass his lips, but he didn't have any control over it, and it was then that he realised this wasn't his dream, it was a memory, someone else's. "He'll see us together, he'll be angry." His voice was feminine too, no surprise there, he was aware that he was reliving a woman's memory, and if his assumptions were true, it was the woman in the old man's photo, his late wife. Izaya had no control over what happened in these memories, and even though he had grown accustomed to them, it didn't make them any less surprising, nor any less terrifying. Izaya could feel her emotions within him, could feel her fear and – and her love. The love she felt for the man standing in front of her, it was so strong and so real; yet, he felt trapped, because she belonged to another, quite literally it seemed._

_The blond wrapped his arms around him – her, embracing her tightly, stroking her hair. "It'll be all right, I won't let him harm you, just leave him, he's no good for you." _

_Her hands came up to grasp his shirt, shaking, tears falling from her face. "I'm so afraid, he won't let me leave, he won't let me ever leave."_

_There was a click behind them, it drowned out any other noise around, so loud, so – chilling. She turned around when she realised the blond's attention was ahead of them, her eyes widening at the sight of her husband, whom was a few feet away from them. The handgun poised in their direction, his eyes shone with hatred and Izaya couldn't help the fear that ran through him, he looked at her with a great deal of passion, but it was combined with possessiveness. "I love you my dear Keiko, you belong with me, til death do us part, right?"_

_A hand pushed her to one side, the blond's eyes glared angrily as he raised an arm in front of her protectively. "Leave her alone."_

_The man grinned, a crazed look caught in his eyes for a moment before softening. "I love her, she's mine, and if I can't have her, no one can!"_

_The woman's eyes grew wide and she reached her hand out, a scream tore from her lips. "No don't!" raising her hands up either side, she stood before the one she loved, and a bullet tore into her chest, her mouth opened in a silent cry of pain. Both men too shocked to react at first, the blond fell to his knees, cradling her body as she smiled up at him. "I'll protect you, always. I love you."_

Izaya gasped loudly as he shot up in a sitting position, a hand clutching his chest, gritting his teeth. "Shit…." His body shook and he could feel his clothes sticking to his skin, his hair was damp and – something trickled down his cheeks, was he crying? His chest felt tight and there was a numbing pain ebbing around where he had felt the bullet pierce him. Izaya whimpered and fell backwards, he could barely hold himself up, he was so weak.

"Izaya?" The raven opened his eyes again at the sound of his name, he glanced to the side, Shinra and Kadota were knelt beside him, looking incredibly concerned. He shivered when a cold cloth was wiped over his face, yet relieved at the same time, his skin was burning. "What happened…? We came to check on you and found you unconscious, Izaya, we should really call an ambulance."

Kadota startled when Izaya gripped his wrist, he looked up at him and tried to smile, taking firm hold of his arm. "It's okay, we're here." Izaya had never looked so weak and frightened before, to him at least. _He's really sick. _"Izaya, Shinra's right, we have to get you to a hospital."

Izaya shook his head, another whimper escaped him when that caused his head to throb. "No… it's not…I'm not sick…"

Shinra frowned then, dipping the cloth back into the water and repeated his actions from before. "Izaya, you – you're sick, you need help, you're getting worse by the minute here."

Izaya smiled at him, though it was only for a few seconds. "No…. crystal, it's the crystal…" he pushed himself to sit up, barely leaning on his elbows, his two friends both reached out to clasp his shoulders. "The crystal… in my room…. it's making me sick… cursed."

Kadota still held Izaya's arm as the raven stubbornly swung his legs over the couch, he shook his head, wondering how his friend could have little care about his health. "What do you mean by that? what crystal?"

Izaya let out a shaky breath, it was taking everything he had to remain sitting like this. "We got it wrong…. so wrong, the spirit isn't the threat… it's the owner…. he killed her, his wife, he couldn't stand her being with someone else…. he did everything he could to keep her with him…. and when she died, he sealed her spirit quickly, out of fear of what she might do…." Izaya gritted his teeth when dizziness consumed him for a moment, his hand came up to grasp his head. Shinra and Kadota looked at one another in concern, they believed in what Izaya had told them, because they knew he was usually right about these situations. "I had another dream…. he shot her…. it was supposed to be for the one she loved… but she saved him…. the man then told the police that he did it."

"How – how do you know all this? I mean the dreams sure, but – did you find anything else that would help?"

Izaya looked at Kadota, only then realising that his hand was still wrapped around the teen's wrist. Izaya gently pulled his hand back, favouring gripping the cushion instead. "I found a news article in my search, of course…. it had nothing to do with Egyptian myths at all, the story was true, but it was muddled and – and it was them. The man used the story to throw me off…. and the crystal to – I don't know, keep me unfocused, or probably hoped that it would get rid of me…"

Shinra gaped in disbelief, he didn't know what to think, what to say, he all but stammered out his next words. "So, all that rage she had, all that, 'Shizuo is mine.' She was really trying to protect him?" Izaya nodded slightly. "From you?"

"I think she must have been confused, trapped in that box for thirty years messed with the memories she had. She must have thought that I was the threat, the man that forced her to stay with him, the man that tried to kill the one she loved. She thought I was trying to harm Shizu-chan…."

"She asked if you and he were together before, then she got angry and started saying that stuff about Shizuo being hers."

"I'm not sure whether Kimori's emotions might have mixed in with hers, I don't know how spirit possessing really works. It's possible, she also spoke the phrase, 'If I can't have him, no one can.' It was what led me to believe that she was the threat, it threw me off, but I guess it might have been because that was the last thing she heard."

Kadota sighed, this was certainly unexpected, he moved to sit on the couch, they should really tell Izaya what was happening right now, but as he looked at him, his concern for Izaya's health outweighed his concerns for Shizuo. "How do we lift this curse thing that's gotten hold of you?"

Izaya shrugged a little, because what he said next sounded so simple. "Smash it."

Shinra blinked in surprise. "That's it, just – smash it?"

Izaya nodded at him, even he thought that sounded ridiculous, given how sick he felt. "Yeh… that's it… the curse should lift… though it might take a while for me to return to full strength," Izaya chewed his lip when another thought crossed his mind, and it scared him. "I – I might have even noticed it too late…"

Shinra frowned and grasped his wrist, gaining Izaya's full attention. "No! don't ever talk like that!"

Izaya blinked at him, fear was clear in his friend's voice and he couldn't help but feel guilty. "Sorry…. I was just – thinking out loud, because it's a possibility."

Shinra sighed and let his wrist go, he knew Izaya was right, the raven looked so pale and fragile. "So, she latched onto Shizuo to keep him safe, was it a coincidence that she happened to choose him? or was it because the person she possessed was already with him?"

Izaya chuckled lightly, Shinra hid his concern poorly. "I think it might have been both, you wouldn't believe it but – the person she loved, looks a lot like Shizu-chan…." Talking about him directly caused Izaya to frown. "Where is he by the way?" he looked down at his lap, a slight tinge to his already flush cheeks, grateful for once that he had a fever. "Not that I expected him to – well, never mind, where is he?" Shinra and Kadota shifted awkwardly, Izaya looked at them, his frown deepening as he directed his question at Shinra, knowing the bespectacled man couldn't lie to him. "Shinra, where is Shizu-chan?"

Kadota sighed heavily, Izaya was going to freak out. "Shizuo took the girl to the owner of that store, along with the box."

Izaya's eyes widened. "Why?"

"I guess he was thinking that he could ask him to seal her again or something."

Izaya clenched his fists, anger mixed with worry flooding through him. "Why didn't you stop him! they're both in danger!"

Kadota glared at him, though he could see that Izaya was worried. "As far as we knew, it was the spirit that was the threat, not the old man!"

Izaya stood up quickly. "I have to stop him…" Shinra caught Izaya as the raven fell against him.

"You're not going anywhere Izaya! you can't even stand, you're in no position to do anything right now!" Kadota was shouting now, but Izaya knew he was just concerned, and he had every right to be, Izaya didn't even think he could walk on his own anymore. The teen turned to Shinra, a determined look upon his face. "You need to find that crystal and smash it as much as you can before it's too late."

Shinra tilted his head and then glanced at Izaya, holding out his palm. "Tell me where your apartment is and give me your key." Izaya looked like he was going to protest, but he couldn't be stubborn anymore, if they were to save him and Shizuo, they needed his trust. "Please Izaya."

Izaya nodded and pulled his key out from his pocket. "It's a small apartment, on Gekijo Dori, it's on its own, kind of hidden behind some trees. You should be able to find it, it's opposite a football pitch."

Shinra nodded and took the key from his friend, holding it tightly in his palm. "You'll be alright, Izaya."

Izaya smiled at him. "Maybe…"

Kadota sighed in relief, he had thought it was going to take some convincing. "I'm going to see if I can catch up with Shizuo, I'll give him a call on the way."

Izaya tried to push Shinra off, he took one step and collapsed, Shinra grasped his body tightly. "I'm coming with you…"

Kadota gritted his teeth, frowning at the sheer stubbornness from his friend. "I said you weren't going anywhere; you'll only make yourself worse and we might not be able to save you."

Izaya hissed when his legs tried to buckle, but Shinra had a firm grip on him. "Please… Dota-chin… I have to…." Izaya looked at him pleadingly, Kadota could see how much Shizuo meant to him then, how much he was willing to sacrifice. "It's Shizu-chan… I can't lose him…"

Kadota was surprised by the blunt confession, but he slumped in defeat, who could argue with that? "All right, but you can't even walk, so I will carry you, no excuses, you need to save whatever strength you have left to survive, okay?"

Izaya grinned weakly at him. "Deal."

….

Kadota looked over at the passenger seat with grave concern, Izaya was in and out of unconsciousness by now, barely speaking, he was just getting worse. Kadota feared that they really were going to be too late, he looked ahead at the road again, frowning as he slowed down once he neared the museum. _Come on Shinra, hurry up._

Shizuo looked at Kimori – or was it the spirit he was looking at? Either way, she was calm, and he felt guilty that he had brought her here, didn't she realise why that was? Didn't she recognise the museum?

He thought about it, and she probably wouldn't, Kimori would have, but Shizuo had this feeling that the spirit possessing her was more in control now. Her hand linked with his own and she smiled happily at him, it made him feel even more guilty. He couldn't quite understand it, but he had this feeling that something wasn't right, that he shouldn't have brought her here. Then he remembered how sick Izaya looked in the corridor and he frowned, clenching his fist. _She caused that, she made him sick_.

They turned into the gift shop, Shizuo was thankful that it was empty, though that struck him as odd, and now that he thought about it, the entire museum looked empty. It couldn't be closed, because the doors to the entrance would have been locked. The bad feeling, he had was slowly getting worse, Shizuo looked over at the paying counter, the old man was there, he appeared to not have noticed them yet. Shizuo felt her hand tighten around his own for a moment as they walked toward Roji.

Once they got closer, the old man noticed them, he smiled kindly and clasped his hands together as he stepped out from behind the counter. "Ah! You're that student from before, your friend told me about you, I know you didn't have anything to do with the item that was stolen, he made that very clear, he cares a lot about you, you know."

Shizuo shifted uncomfortably, not quite sure how to reply to that statement, after what had happened between him and Izaya, how could the raven possibly still care about him? Shizuo shook his head, it wasn't what he should be thinking about right now. "Speaking of the stolen item, I think it's only fair that you have it back," Shizuo took the box from his bag. "But before I give it to you, I was wondering if you knew of some way to seal the spirit that was inside before. Izaya told me the story about the Egyptian merchant; it was accidently set free and now it's – well, it's possessing my girlfriend." It killed him inside to keep referring to Kimori as his girlfriend after what she had done, but he needed them both to believe that he was still ignorant in all this, though he wasn't supposed to admit that he knew that a spirit possessed her.

The girl looked at him, Shizuo couldn't help but worry, she looked – betrayed. But hadn't it been her idea in the first place to return the box? Or had that been Kimori talking for that moment? It was very possible that the spirit lost control for that length of time, even if it was for a split second.

"I do indeed," the man's voice brought them back to his attention, he held out his hands. "I will help you, give me the box and I'll drive the spirit out of your girlfriend. I won't even notify the police that she stole from me."

Shizuo blinked in surprise, how oddly kind of him, he frowned slightly when he pulled the box out of reach for a moment. "One more thing, if this was so dangerous and you knew there was a vengeful spirit in here, why keep it out in the open for it to be ignorantly taken?"

Roji chuckled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Izaya might tell you, I'm not as young as I used to be, I didn't even know I had such valuable items in the shop." He tapped the shelf behind him, and Shizuo glanced over at the samurai he had been looking at, now behind the counter. "Had no idea it was worth that much, perhaps I've been here too long, heh."

Shizuo relaxed, he could believe that, given how the store was laid out.

"To be honest, I thought my story was nothing but a myth, until Izaya came to me and convinced me otherwise, that's why I didn't feel the need to lock it away, even though it wasn't for sale. Of course, that could be put down to old age too." Roji laughed lightly and then held his hands out again. "I don't know a great deal about the seal, but I'm positive I can help."

Shizuo nodded and as he held out the box to the old man, a voice startled him from behind.

"Don't give him the box!"

All three turn their attention to the doorway of the gift shop, Shizuo tilted his head in confusion and his hand retracted slightly. "Kadota, what are you doing here, I thought you were with Izaya?" Shizuo stepped forward, expressing concern. "Is he alright?"

Kadota frowned. "No, he's not, he's got a lot worse Shizuo."

Shizuo's eyes widened upon hearing that, he didn't think it was that bad. "Where is he?"

"In the car, he was unconscious when I left, but before that he told me to come and make sure you don't give him that box."

Shizuo looked at the item in his hand and then back to Kadota. "Why?"

"Izaya is sick because of a curse, a crystal was given to him and it made him ill. The reason Izaya is so sick is because of him," Kadota pointed at the old man and Shizuo turned to face him with shock. "He gave Izaya the crystal to stop him from finding out the truth, was probably hoping it would kill him. Shinra went to his apartment to destroy it, Izaya said that by smashing it, it'll lift the curse or something, if-"

Shizuo turned back to face him, anger rising within. "If what!?"

Kadota frowned in concern. "If it's not too late."

Shizuo felt his chest tighten, too late? What the hell was he saying? Could Izaya – could he die? Shizuo shook his head, no, the raven couldn't die, he – he just couldn't; something Kadota said caught up with him then. "The truth about what?"

Before Kadota could reply, the girl stood in front of Shizuo, eyes glaring at Kadota. "I don't care if you want to seal me away! You won't harm him!"

Shizuo blinked in confusion, he was so lost now, he didn't know what to believe. Kadota walked forward, his hands held out in front of him. "We don't want to seal you away, we're here to help, we know the truth, we know what he did to you."

"Who did what?" Shizuo was getting angry, he turned to the old man, was Kadota right, was this senile old man the reason Izaya was sick? "If he dies, I will kill you." Shizuo gritted his teeth and grabbed hold of his shirt. "You bastard, what have you done to him!?"

Roji looked at him with fear and shook his head. "I haven't done anything, the spirit, that's the cause of his illness, not me."

Kadota reached the girl and grabbed her wrist. "We're here to help."

The girl's eyes flashed angrily, and she shoved against him. "No one will harm him!" Kadota was flung into a display shelf, Shizuo whipped round and ran over to his friend.

"Kadota!"

….

Shinra rushed into the apartment, it took him longer then he thought to find the damn place. He prayed to god he wasn't too late, he frantically looked around the small room. "Crystal, crystal…. where are you, damn it, Izaya you could have told me where it-" Shinra's eyes lit up when he spotted something glinting in the sunlight. "Yes!" he ran over, grabbed the crystal from the window seal, and with all his strength, he raised it above his head and threw it to the floor.

The crystal shattered as though it was glass, fragments scattered across the floor, some small, some large. Shinra just hoped it was enough to stop the curse from taking his friend away from them.

…..

Roji grinned down at the fallen box and laughed as he held it firmly in his grip. He looked at the girl with a manic glint in his eye. "My dear Keiko, it's so good to see you again, we shall be together forever, I won't let you out of my sight again, I promise."

Shizuo looked at Kadota as the teen stood up, the blond followed suit. "Kadota, what the hell is going on?"

"We have to stop him from using that seal, there was no Egyptian story, it was them all along. He killed his wife, blamed it on the one she fell for and sealed her spirit away so they would never be apart."

Roji opened the box and swiped his hand through the air. "Shisha no seirei, koko de watashi wa anata o shōkan shi, watashi o odokasu seishin o tojikome, kanojo ga kaku katachi o fūin shimasu." (Holy spirits of the dead, here I summon thee, entrap the spirit that threatens me and seal away the form she portrays.) Roji repeated this several times before he realized it wasn't working. "What is happening!? That seal worked before!" he looked at the box and then at the girl. "What have you done to it!?" the man repeated the same mantra again.

"Na man Kusa na maan basu ah don sin ah ma sa oro ta ra atah ka maan-"

The old man looked behind the woman and his eyes widened. "You!"

Shizuo and Kadota glanced over, gasping in surprise, it was Izaya, a glow of spiritual energy cast around him as he chanted. "Izaya – what the-" Shizuo didn't know what was happening, but whatever Izaya was doing, had stopped the seal from working. Izaya's breathing became heavy and he collapsed to his knees, the glow of his mantra energy disappeared. "Izaya!"

Kadota frowned in annoyance, Shinra might have made it in time, but Izaya was still incredibly weak and to try something like that while recovering – it was the most idiotic idea he had been witness to. "Izaya, are you okay?"

Izaya shook his head, no, no he wasn't, the raven looked up at the girl and the old man. She frowned at him and ran toward him, Izaya stumbled to his feet. "I'm not a threat! I know the truth; I know what he did. It's not me, I'm not going to harm him, I would never do that…. I – I care about him just as much as you…. but, take a good look, he's not the man you fell for…" the girl stopped in front of him for a moment before she swiped a hand across the air. Izaya was knocked off his feet, he pushed himself up, struggling to move. "Just look…. it's not him…. and - and the man who trapped you and forced you to stay with him, he's right there, he's the threat – he took you away from the one you loved…."

The girl froze and slowly turned to look at Shizuo, the blond stared at her as he stopped his attempts to get to Izaya. "It's not you…."

Shizuo didn't reply, he didn't want to get her upset, not when she was so close to Izaya.

"Keiko," Izaya spoke softly as he got to his feet. "I promise…. I will protect him; you don't have to worry anymore…. he's – he's safe now, I'm not going to harm him, the one you love is waiting for you…. forget your revenge and be with him…. finally."

Keiko looked at the old man, her eyes shone with hatred, Roji opened the box again.

Izaya gritted his teeth, he didn't have the strength to perform that mantra again, it would probably kill him if he tried. Shizuo clenched his fists, he wanted nothing more than to smash his fists into that old man's face, he was so angry, at him, at himself – he looked at Izaya, wondering whether what he had said to Keiko/Kimori was true.

Roji began chanting the seal's words, but before either Izaya or Shizuo could react, the man was knocked off his feet by a perfectly well-placed punch. Both teens stared in surprise, Kadota glared down at Roji, anger displaying in his eyes. "Don't ever mess with my friends, old man or not, I will beat your ass." He then laid eyes on the box and raised his foot above it.

Roji reached out a hand – "No!"

Kadota's foot smashed the box, splitting it in half. "Tch."

Izaya huffed a laugh and glanced over at Shizuo when he noticed the blond's gaze was on him, the raven gave him a brief smile.

Shizuo sighed, damn, he almost lost the flea – he'd never been so terrified.

Their attention was pulled back to the girl, Izaya looked at her, she smiled and said, "Thank you." Izaya looked up toward the ceiling when a dark blue aura lifted from Kimori's body and disappeared. Kimori was left frozen on her feet, and Izaya wondered how she was still standing.

Roji stood up quickly. "You can't have her, Keiko is mine, if I can't have her, no one can!"

Izaya's eyes widened at the sight of a gun, the same one as before – he froze, as if he was being consumed by the memories from his dream. He tried to say something, tried to shout that the spirit had left already and only Kimori remained. He couldn't speak, he couldn't move his legs, his body was exhausted and – and then –

The sound of the gun shot snapped him out of it, he dashed forward and skidded on his knees in front of Kimori, grasping at Shizuo's shirt. The sound of the blond's name tore from his lips in a cry of anguish, Kadota on the other side of him, reaching for his phone to call an ambulance.

Kimori could only watch in confusion and horror at the sight before her feet.

Tears fell from Izaya's eyes as he pressed his hands to Shizuo's chest. "Don't die…. stay with us…. Shizu-chan…" Izaya screwed his eyes shut. "Shizuo!"

…

Kadota looked up from his seat in the waiting room of Taito hospital, he smiled lightly when Shinra burst through the door in a panic. "I came as fast as I could, is he – is Shizuo okay?"

Kadota sighed and swiped his hand through his hair. "Dunno, doctors are working on him, not sure how long it's been."

Shinra slumped; when Kadota had called him and tried to explain what happened, his heart sank, and he feared for his friend's life. How the hell had Shizuo got shot? They were paranormal investigators, not superheroes! _What was he thinking? _Shinra's eyes scanned the waiting room and he frowned when he didn't see a certain someone there. "Where's Izaya?" panic flooded him for a moment, because Kadota had mentioned him and he didn't even know if smashing the crystal had even worked. "Kadota…. he's okay, isn't he?" Kadota nodded but he didn't reply with any words. "Smashing the crystal worked?" another nod. Shinra huffed, he pulled out his phone, the nodded answers hadn't ceased his panic, and a horrifying thought crossed his mind. If Shizuo had been shot and if – if he didn't make it, he feared what Izaya would do. "I'm calling him."

Kadota looked up upon hearing this, he stood up and grabbed Shinra's wrist, stopping him from doing so. "Shinra, he's okay… I mean, he will be… after the ambulance came, and the police took our statements, he took off."

Shinra frowned. "Where?"

Kadota then smiled, as though it was something to be happy about. "He went home."

….

Mairu and Kururi were giggling hysterically as they chased each other through the hall and up the stairs. Kyouko shouted after them to calm down from the bottom of the stairs, hand on her hip, she glanced into the living room, half annoyed that Shirou hadn't said anything and wasn't helping. She rolled her eyes and was about to continue prepping dinner when the doorbell rang. Sighing, she adjusted her apron and unlocked the door, sliding the bolt across and opened it. A gasp escaped her lips and she dropped the kitchen utensil she was holding.

Izaya looked up at her, chewing his lip, his eyes were red, and tears were still clouding his vision. He tried to smile, but his heart wouldn't allow it, he was in shock from Shizuo's accident and he didn't know where else to go. "Hey…. Mom…. I – I'd like to come home now…"

Kyouko's eyes watered and she dashed forward, Izaya gasped in surprise when her arms wrapped around him tightly. "Oh sweetheart, I've missed you so much…"

Izaya wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her shoulder, sobbing lightly, he didn't care. "I'm sorry about what I said…. I'm so sorry…"

"Shhh, it's okay, it's okay." She pulled back and wiped his tears with her apron, she smiled sadly at him. "We heard about Shizuo; do you know if he'll be okay?"

Izaya clenched his fists, he hadn't even gone with them in the ambulance, he didn't even know if Shizuo was alive! "I don't know…. I just – I couldn't… see him like that…" Kyouko pulled him in for another hug when she noticed Izaya couldn't stop himself from crying.

"He'll be okay, you'll see…." She then turned her head and led Izaya into the living room.

Shirou turned his attention halfway from the television to the doorway. "Who was at the-" his mouth fell open, his attention now fully asserted on the person beside his wife. "-Door… Izaya, that's you right?"

Izaya nodded, still shaking slightly and stepped into the room. "I want to come home…."

Shirou smiled brightly and quickly stood up, his arms raising to embrace Izaya tightly. "We missed you! you are always welcome here, don't be stupid, I'm so happy to see you."

Izaya wrapped one arm around his dad's back, he truly hadn't expected to be welcomed back so quickly and openly, it was overwhelming. "I'm sorry."

Shirou shook his head as he pulled back, clapping a hand on Izaya's shoulder. "We're the ones that should apologize, we should have told you sooner… we were just trying to protect you."

Izaya frowned lightly, he still couldn't forget what they said, but he understood why they kept it from him. "I just – I just didn't know where to go…"

Shirou placed his hand on Izaya's head. "You're home, that's all that matters."

Kyouko smiled and turned for the hall. "I'll call the girls."

Izaya turned around and stopped her. "It's okay, I'll go up and see them."

Mairu and Kururi were in their room, laughing as they jumped up and down on the bed. Izaya stood in the doorway to watch for a minute, he had missed his sisters so much, and he couldn't help but think they looked slightly older, even though he hadn't been gone all that long.

"Mairu, we shouldn't touch the floor, it's poison water!" Kururi made a face and pointed to the carpet.

Mairu nodded enthusiastically, happy to play along. "Okay!"

"I guess you need someone to get you across to the other bed then."

The girls immediately stopped jumping on the bed, they froze in their movements, looking toward the one that spoke, instantly recognizing the voice of their brother. They both hurried off the bed and ran into Izaya's arms. "Iza-nii!"

Izaya bent down and wrapped his arms around them, pulling them close. The twins sobbed against his chest and Izaya felt his heart clench, guilty for leaving them the way he did. "Shhh, I'm here, it's okay, don't cry…"

"We missed you loads!" Mairu gripped the back of his shirt and tried her best to sit on his knee.

Kururi looked up at him through her tears. "Iza-nii coming home?"

Izaya smiled at her and nodded. "I'm coming home…"

…

**Five weeks later.**

Shizuo chuckled lightly as he was handed cards, presents and oddly enough, flowers; he guessed they were probably from a girl at their school or one of his friend's parents. Shizuo's recovery had been slow, he had been unconscious for a few weeks since the operation and spent the last two being examined and monitored. He rarely had visitors due to the heightened circumstances of his injuries, but his friends had come by when they could. This was the first time however, that he could have a full visit, and was overwhelmed by the happiness that he was okay. The gifts and cards received weren't at all what he expected, and he couldn't help but feel so grateful. Even though Shinra and Kadota were talking to him as much as possible, there was someone he wanted to see, but always seemed absent whenever they dropped by. He glanced over at the table beside the window of his room, it had a squared shaped box on it and looked as though it was still wrapped. "Who's that from?" he was sure he'd opened all the gifts.

Shinra smiled slightly and retrieved the item, he handed it over to Shizuo and said, "It's – it's from Izaya, he dropped it off about an hour ago."

Shizuo blinked in surprise. "He was here?"

Shinra nodded, his expression solemn though. "He didn't want to come in though, he just told me to give this to you and tell you that he's sorry."

Shizuo frowned, staring at the gift that was wrapped in plain blue paper. "Could have just said that himself, still running away."

Kadota sighed, he understood why Shizuo was pissed, after what had happened, Izaya owed Shizuo a face to face apology and the two seriously needed to talk. Though he could also see Izaya's point of view, knew that the raven had blamed himself and even though he had gotten so sick, he had done everything he could to keep Shizuo safe. "He'll come around, give him time, he was pretty shaken up."

Shizuo nodded, he didn't want to get angry, he just wanted to see him, talk to him and tell him how glad he was that he was okay. Shizuo took the wrapping between his fingers and tore it off the box, he lifted the lid and peered inside. A small gasp escaped his lips. His two friends tilted their head, a questioning gaze on their faces. Shizuo pulled the item out of its box and revealed the Samurai figurine, the one from the museum's gift store. "I can't believe he – how did he know?"

Kadota chuckled. "He is rather perceptive, he must know you like swords, he probably overheard and saw you look at this one from the field trip, the owner went to jail, but they replaced him."

Shizuo looked at the figurine in awe, his fingers tracing its detail delicately. _Izaya. _

A knock on the door brought their attention toward it, Shizuo frowned, _she _was not who he wanted to see. Kimori stood by the door's entrance, looking at him with a somewhat shameful expression on her face. Shinra and Kadota stood up and allowed the two some privacy. The blond placed the Samurai carefully on his nightstand and glared over at her. "I don't have anything to say to you."

Kimori flinched at his tone, never having heard it directed at her before. "I just – I know what I did was wrong, and I'm truly sorry-"

"Are you?" Shizuo clenched a fist. "I don't believe a single thing that comes out of your mouth anymore."

Kimori nodded, understanding why he said that. "I just came by to see if you were okay, and – and to thank you for saving me, Izaya explained some things that had happened because I couldn't remember even going to that store with you."

Shizuo looked at her in mild surprise, some of his anger fading. "Izaya did?"

"He did. He hates my guts, and yet he still wanted to keep me safe, you – you saved my life, I just wanted to thank you." she turned for the door.

"I had fun too." Shizuo gritted out the words, but he meant them. Kimori turned to him with surprise. "Before all the shit you pulled, I had fun, and it might have worked out, maybe."

Kimori smiled and shook her head. "I know you never stopped caring about him, deep down, and he never stopped caring about you either. Whatever happened between you two, I'm sorry for my part in it."

Shizuo snorted, still not believing that she really was sorry, and yet – "Izaya wasn't completely innocent in all this, he screwed up first, a lot."

Kimori shrugged. "Anyway, I'm glad you're okay, see you around, Shizuo."

Shizuo nodded and then she left. He glanced over at the Samurai and sighed, he hoped Izaya came by soon.

…..

**Three weeks later.**

Shinra and Kadota were stood by the desks of their homeroom window, it was their first day back after summer vacation and yet – it wasn't going to be the same again. Shinra sighed sadly, chewing his lip, he looked at Kadota who hadn't said anything since they'd arrived. "Should we have gone with him?"

Kadota shook his head. "I don't think he's the type for mushy goodbyes."

"I'm going to miss him."

"We all are."

Izaya stepped into the classroom and quickly located his friends, well, two of them at least. He looked around the room for the other and frowned when he couldn't see him anywhere. Shrugging, he walked up to the other two with a small grin on his face, they looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What?" Shinra shook his head, though he frowned slightly, wondering why Izaya could grin like that right now. "Shizu-chan forgot about school starting up?" Kadota and Shinra gaped at him and then shared a concerned glance. Izaya frowned at their silence, he began to worry. "You said he recovered, right?"

Kadota nodded, he couldn't be sure, but he had a feeling Izaya didn't know. "He's fine."

Izaya clenched his fist. "Then what aren't you telling me."

Shinra couldn't believe it. _He really doesn't know. _"Izaya, did he not tell you?"

Izaya's heart sped up, he didn't like the sound of that. "Tell me what?"

Kadota spoke next, he was slightly annoyed now, he knew that Shizuo had tried to contact Izaya several times in the last week to tell him. "Izaya, he's leaving."

Izaya's eyes widened and he fell back against the desk behind him. "What…?"

"He tried to call you, he's leaving, he's been called home, his brother came to see him and said that his father is ill, wants Shizuo to take responsibility of the shrine, or something like that."

Izaya's hands shook as they gripped the desk, Shizuo couldn't leave him – he couldn't just go without – Izaya frowned. "When?"

Kadota blinked. "Huh?"

Izaya became angry. "When does he leave!?"

Kadota gritted his teeth. "Soon, about half hour I think, he's already at the train station."

Izaya turned to run for the door but was grabbed by Kadota. "Let go! I have to stop him!"

Kadota grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him in. "And say what!? Sorry I didn't come to visit, sorry I was such an asshole before, for always hiding away and breaking your heart!? For fucksake Izaya, if you really care about him then you better be prepared to admit it, if you can't deal with this without hiding away all the time, then going after him is pointless!"

Izaya's anger disappeared and he was left feeling small, he clenched his fists. "I'm not – I'm not going to hide away, I don't want him to leave, but – I need to tell him myself, I have to stop him and try, that's all I can do."

Kadota let him go and sighed heavily. "Okay, I'll drive you."

Izaya looked up at him in surprise. "You will?"

"Just don't screw it up."

Izaya grinned. "I won't." he then looked over at Shinra, his grin disappeared and was replaced by a guilty expression. "Shinra… I-"

Shinra stepped in front of him and smiled. "It's okay Izaya, I know you never felt the same way about me, it hurt, but I'll be okay, I'll move on. I know that if Shizuo leaves though, you won't, so go after him, and forgodsake tell him how you feel, okay?" Izaya nodded and then wrapped his arms around his best friend, Shinra smiled sadly unseen and pushed the raven back. "Hurry up."

…..

~ The next train arriving at Ikebukuro station will arrive in ten minutes, please stand clear of the yellow line and we hope you enjoy your travel.

Shizuo looked at his watch and glanced up at the scheduled times, he pulled his phone out and stared at the number that was Izaya's, his thumb hovered over the delete button, something he had been debating on for the last few hours. He shifted his case onto his other shoulder, standing by the wall as he waited for his train. Shizuo didn't want to leave, he had made progress here, he had made friends and – and he fell in love, but he couldn't stay around him, knowing how he felt. He came from a shrine temple, even despite what his parents had done, it was still his responsibility as their son, wasn't it?

~ The next train arriving at Ikebukuro station will arrive in five minutes, please stand clear of the yellow line and we hope you enjoy your travel.

Shizuo pushed off the wall, and just as he was preparing to wait by the line with the other passengers –

"Shizuo!"

Shizuo turned his head and spun around, his eyes widened at the person running toward him. "Izaya?" Izaya ran toward him and stopped abruptly, frowning and breathing heavily. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Izaya grabbed his arm. "Stopping you from making the biggest mistake of your life!"

Shizuo yanked his arm away. "The biggest mistake!? You think this is the biggest mistake!? You want to know just what that is! The biggest mistake of my life was telling you that I loved you!"

Izaya stepped back, he clenched his fists as a sorrowed expression appeared on his face. "You can't leave…."

"Oh, I can't!? you just decide this now? I've tried several times to talk to you, I wanted to tell you! I wanted to get you back, but as usual you didn't want to listen – you hid away, again!"

Izaya bit his lip, he frowned up at the blond, eyes glistening. "I know! I know that! I – I can't change any of that now, but I'm here and-"

"It's too fucking late Izaya! You can't just – I don't know how to deal with you anymore, it hurts me that I can't help you, because I always get angry and I can't stay with you because you don't know how to accept what I feel." Shizuo's eyes were clouding over now as the two stared at one another.

"Why are you leaving!? Because of me, is that all it is?"

Shizuo clenched his fists. "You're the main reason, and I have a responsibility to my parents."

Izaya glared at him. "Like hell you do! They don't give a shit about you, you're a tool to them! What they did to you was unforgivable and I can't let you go back to that! You belong here with us, they don't need you, we do – I do…"

Shizuo's anger faded slightly, his fists unclenched. "Izaya, give me one good reason I should stay."

Izaya looked at him, he opened his mouth and the words were on the tip of his tongue. "I-" suddenly, his throat closed, and he couldn't find it in himself to talk anymore. Why was this so hard? Why was it always this hard for him? he knew what he felt now, he knew what it was he wanted to say, but – he just couldn't.

Shizuo sighed and gripped his bag tighter. "Yeh, that's what I thought… goodbye Izaya."

There was a whoosh of wind whipping past them as the train screeched to a stop.

~ The train has now arrived, please step carefully when boarding the train and have your ticket ready for inspection upon seating, enjoy your travel.

Izaya stared in disbelief as Shizuo turned away from him and watched as the blond stepped beside the other passengers. "Shizu-chan…. don't leave." Izaya's vision clouded for a moment before clearing as tears fell down his cheeks. "Shizuo!" Shizuo didn't stop to listen anymore, he stepped onto the platform and was two people away from boarding. Izaya's breathing quickened, he stared at the ground, willing himself to fucking open his mouth and say something before he really was too late. How could he allow Shizuo to go like this, he wouldn't be coming back, and he was going to leave without him knowing how he really felt.

Kadota watched from the van, his fist clenched, he wasn't going to say anything, because Izaya had to do this himself. He knew how hard it was for him, Izaya was so stubborn and so afraid of letting people in, but Shizuo wasn't just anybody now, and Kadota knew the truth about how he felt. _Dammit Izaya, just say it, say it. _

Izaya frowned, he needed Shizuo with him, he wanted him to stay. He cared about him more than he had done with anyone before, they had always been there for each other, Shizuo protected in so many unexplained ways, and Izaya had found his equal. Shizuo balanced him, kept him grounded, in a completely different way to Shinra. _ I need him. _Izaya looked up and shouted, "Shizu-chan! I love you!"

**Whoosh!**

Izaya felt like his heart had just ripped out of his chest, taken by that train as it left the station.

He was too late.

Izaya clenched his fists, tears falling down his face, he wiped them away angrily. He swiftly turned around and ran, leaving Kadota to stare after him.

The teen looked at his friend from the van, his heart aching for him. "Shit."

….

Izaya couldn't face going back to school, couldn't face Shinra's sympathetic expressions. He had walked around the city for an hour to clear his head and decided to just go home and shamefully cry himself into a sleep. His parents were at work by now and his sisters were at school, so he'd have no interruptions.

Izaya unlocked the door and toed off his shoes, he felt heavy as he ascended the stairs, still wiping away stray tears from his eyes. He sighed and pushed open the door to his bedroom, he froze suddenly, his heart skipped a beat and a choked sob rose in his throat. "Shizu-chan…?" Shizuo smiled at him from where he sat on the bed, on his bed, and Izaya couldn't quite understand how this was possible. "I thought – I thought you left…"

Shizuo stood up and walked toward him. "I did, but I heard you at the last second, I got on the train and – and I quickly left again from the other side. You didn't see me, so Kadota drove me here. Your mother let me in before she left for work."

Izaya couldn't believe what he was hearing, what he was seeing, Shizuo was standing in front of him and – and he suddenly found himself unable to move. "You heard me…"

Shizuo nodded and smiled as he pulled Izaya to him. "I did."

"Shizu-chan…. I'm – I'm sorry…. I didn't mean-"

Shizuo pressed his finger to Izaya's lips and then replaced it with his own. Izaya gasped against the kiss and wrapped his arms around the blond's neck. The kiss became deeper and Izaya kicked the door shut, they stumbled backwards and fell on the bed. They removed their jackets quickly and Izaya scooted up the bed, pulling Shizuo with him. Shizuo's mouth was on his in a second, his tongue darting out and Izaya moaned, opening his mouth to allow Shizuo's tongue to massage his own. Shizuo's mouth left his to trail kisses down his neck, his hands coming up under his shirt to caress his stomach and sides. The blond picked at the fabric and gently pulled it up and over Izaya's head, Izaya grinned up at him and pulled him down for another kiss. Shizuo leaned up and took his own shirt off, Izaya's hands came up and slid over his stomach.

Shizuo's mouth came back to kiss him and then he gently nipped down Izaya's neck, Izaya let out an appreciative moan when Shizuo's tongue began to lick over his chest. Shizuo pulled away and Izaya looked up at him through half lidded eyes, he tilted his head in confusion. "What's wrong Shizu-chan?"

Shizuo almost blushed as he spoke his next words, but it felt right, so he shouldn't be embarrassed. "I'm ready to – if you want to…"

Izaya smiled knowingly. "Me too." Shizuo leaned down and captured his lips before continuing where he left off, his tongue pushed against Izaya's nipple and took it in his mouth. Izaya arched when the blond sucked and then moved over to give the other the same treatment. The raven moaned loudly as he felt himself become hard, felt Shizuo's equally hard member against his leg. Izaya reached for Shizuo's belt and quickly unbuckled it, Shizuo shimmied his legs and kicked off the fabric. "I want to feel you against me, Shizu-chan." his boxers were also removed in a haste, smiling at Izaya before proceeding to help with his.

Shizuo removed Izaya's pants and boxers, releasing him from his restrictions. Izaya gasped when he felt Shizuo press himself against him, his hands came around to clutch at his back. Shizuo kissed his lips, his mouth, licked his nipples and then one hand slid down to wrap around Izaya's hard cock. Izaya arched off the bed, moaning loudly at the sudden touch to his sensitive area. "Izaya… I don't really know what I'm doing…."

Izaya chuckled lightly at the bad timing of Shizuo's admittance. "Me either…. but it feels right, we'll work it out together, okay?"

Shizuo nodded and continued to stroke Izaya in a slow pace, the raven moaned again and leaned forward to kiss Shizuo's shoulder blade, gently biting it and then sucking. He did it again against the crook of his neck and Shizuo groaned low. Izaya pulled him in and captured his lips, he then took Shizuo's other hand, Shizuo watched him curiously when Izaya kissed the tips of his two fingers before closing his mouth over them. Shizuo gasped quietly at the sensation and was all too aware of what was going to happen soon. He didn't want to hurt Izaya, he wasn't so naïve, he knew their first time was going to be difficult, and the thought of causing him any pain was unnerving. Yet, as he watched Izaya suck on his fingers, producing as much saliva as possible, he couldn't help but tense in excitement, the raven looked so – fucking – hot, just so confident and there was absolutely no doubt in his facial expressions, he trusted him. Izaya took the fingers out and gave him a small grin before kissing him.

"I trust you, Shizu-chan, make me writhe underneath you, make me moan in pleasure."

Shizuo's cock throbbed at Izaya's bold words, did he not worry about the pain it might cause? "Damn it Izaya…" Shizuo breathed out a sigh as Izaya lifted his leg up over his shoulder. Shizuo took his coated fingers and brought them to Izaya's entrance.

"One at a time…. okay?"

Shizuo nodded, he slid his index finger in first, surprised at the tightness and yet – he slid it all the way to his knuckle. Izaya gasped and clutched at Shizuo's shoulders, Shizuo looked at him for any signs of pain as he slid the finger in and out. There were no traces of pain in Izaya's expression, just moans of pleasure. "I'm going to add a second finger…." Izaya nodded, Shizuo took that as consent and as he pulled his index finger back, he slipped in his second. Izaya arched and a loud moan escaped him, his fingers dug into Shizuo's skin as the blond's filled him. "Izaya…. are you okay?"

Izaya's breathing wasn't heavy, he panted and coaxed Shizuo to move his fingers like before. "More…"

Shizuo pushed his fingers in and out, right to the knuckle and back out, he did this several times before he then opened them. His fingers scissor inside him, widening Izaya's entrance, the raven gasped in pleasure, no cares for his loudness. Shizuo suddenly felt something, he dared to push against it and curl his fingers slightly.

"Ahh!" Izaya could barely contain his cry of pleasure, Shizuo was so shocked that he pulled his fingers out.

"Shit, Izaya… are you okay? What the hell was that?"

Izaya panted and managed to huff a laugh. "It's okay…. Shizu-chan… you – you found my G-spot…" Izaya grinned at him, though his face was flush. "Good job…. if I came though, I would have been pissed."

Shizuo blinked in surprise and then he laughed, shaking his head. "Idiot."

Izaya smiled and then wrapped his legs around Shizuo's waist. "I'm ready… Shizu-chan."

Shizuo frowned, not quite believing that was true. "Are you sure, I don't think that's enough…"

Izaya smirked. "Aren't you suddenly full of yourself."

Shizuo growled down at him, though he was blushing now. "That's not what I meant Izaya!"

Izaya chuckled and leaned forward to kiss him. "I'll be alright, I'm ready, okay?"

Shizuo still wasn't entirely convinced, but the look Izaya was giving him told him not to argue. "You'll tell me if it hurts, right?"

Izaya nodded, he wasn't that stupid. "I promise, now take me Shizu-chan…" Shizuo shifted down slightly, he took his pre-cummed member in his hand, stroked it a few times and then positioned it at Izaya's entrance. "Don't worry so much, it's okay."

Shizuo pushed the head of his cock inside as gently as he could, Izaya winced and clutched his hands around the sheet's underneath him. he let out a small whimper of pain when Shizuo pushed his cock further in, Izaya pushed against his shoulder for a moment. Shizuo stopped immediately, he looked up to see Izaya's face somewhat painfilled. "Izaya?"

Izaya swallowed back his sob and released the breath he was holding. "S'kay…. just, give me a second… hurts…"

Shizuo frowned at him. "Maybe we should stop."

Izaya shook his head, he'd be damned if he let Shizuo back out now. "No…. I'm okay now, go slow, okay?"

Shizuo nodded and pushed further in, he tried to caress Izaya's legs and then stroked him lightly to take his mind off the pain for a while. When Shizuo entered him fully, he didn't move, he waited until Izaya had adjusted, watched him carefully for signs of discomfort. There was some, but not enough to cause massive concern. Izaya looked up at him, smiling and beckoning Shizuo forward. He gasped as Shizuo leant over him and moved inside him the slightest bit, tears sprang to his eyes, but he didn't voice it. Shizuo kissed him softly and then wiped away the raven's tears with his thumb. "I love you…"

Izaya smiled at him, legs keeping him close encase the blond decided to pull out. "I – I love you too…" Shizuo smiled back and gently thrust inside, Izaya winced for a moment, but Shizuo was gentle and slow. The blond lifted Izaya's leg slightly and pushed inside him again, still slowly, a few more thrusts and Izaya's pain ebbed away more and more. "Shizu-chan…. feels good…."

Shizuo grunted and pulled back just the slightest bit and then pushed back. "Izaya…. so…. tight…. so good."

Izaya kissed him and his tongue licked across his lips, Shizuo granted him access and continued to thrust into him. Izaya moved his lips to Shizuo's ear and whispered. "A little faster… make me feel that pleasure again."

Shizuo raised himself up on his palms and began moving inside, thrusting his hips and taking Izaya deeper. Izaya cried out, both in pleasure and a hint of pain, he fisted the sheets and Shizuo moved faster. "Izaya…. are you – are you okay?"

Izaya bit his lip as Shizuo took him again and again, slowly and then fast, softly and then harder. He couldn't focus, he was becoming overwhelmed with the abrupt changes in Shizuo's movements. "Shit…. fuck…. Ahh!"

Shizuo shifted slightly and pulled out half way before pushing back inside and Izaya couldn't stop the cry of pleasure from escaping him as Shizuo hit that same spot from before, it drove him crazy, he gasped loudly and raked his nails across Shizuo's back when the blond continued to thrust against it, relentlessly so, Izaya's mind clouded over, nothing but pleasure assaulted his body now. "Izaya, I – I think I'm close…"

Izaya gritted his teeth. "Touch me… take me harder…. make me come…. Shizu-chan." Shizuo thrust harder and began to pound into him, hitting that same place, over and over. He reached down and wrapped his hand around Izaya's cock and stroked him fast. "Yes! Yes…. that's it…fuck! I can't – I'm going to come – fuck me!"

Shizuo took him hard and pushed himself deeper and then felt himself tense and – "Izayaaaa!" he came, hard and fast.

Izaya threw his head back and came with the cry of Shizuo's name on his lips.

Panting heavily, the two collapsed against each other, Izaya winced when Shizuo pulled out and lay to the side of him. he moved to lean against his elbows, damn he was sore, he could barely move. _Maybe we overdid it a little. _He then flinched at the spots of blood that decorated the sheet. _We probably did. _Izaya shrugged, because it had been worth it for such a pleasurable experience, yes it hurt, but he knew that first times were supposed to. Izaya shifted and lay his head on Shizuo's chest, listening to his heartbeat as it continued to race. "There's a little blood…. but don't worry, it was to be expected, we just got a little carried away, that's all."

Shizuo's arm wrapped around his small frame, tightening his hold. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Izaya nodded, kissing the blond's chest lightly. "I'm sore, but I'm okay…. that was – pretty amazing."

Shizuo chuckled a little. "It was…."

Izaya shifted slowly up to Shizuo's face and captured his lips softly, tears sprang to his eyes again as he said, "I love you…. I'm sorry that it took me so long to realize it…"

Shizuo pulled him close and kissed the top of Izaya's forehead. "I'm sorry I almost left you…."

Izaya grinned at him. "Does that mean you're staying?"

Shizuo rolled his eyes. "After what we just did, you think I'm still going to leave?" Izaya shrugged, and even though he was joking, he buried his face in the crook of Shizuo's neck. Shizuo embraced him tightly, huffing a laugh. "I'm not going to leave, I'm staying right here, where I belong."


	26. Epilogue

**Two years later.**

**Graduation.**

"Would everyone please rise." The principal of their school spoke clearly into the microphone as he addresses the students that filled the large hall. "Classes of grade 11, you have demonstrated an outstanding performance in the last year of your exams, achieved excellent marks and I know each and everyone of you worked your hardest. However, there are few who pushed themselves beyond their capabilities and proved to have bettered themselves as time passed," he gestured to the table beside him, there were six trophies and four envelopes sat on top of the blue cloth that covered the wood. "I have awards to give out, so please be patient before I proceed with the diploma handouts." He picked up the first trophy and said, "Shinra Kishitani, this award is assigned to you for your outstanding leadership as class rep, and for your excellent performances in your biology field exams, congratulations."

The students clapped in unison, filling the large hall with it's sound. Shinra blushed and Izaya pushed him forward to encourage him to move. Izaya chuckled as he watched his best friend shyly walk up to the stage. _Nothing changes, still the same. _Izaya glanced at Shizuo who was stood to his left, the blond caught his gaze and gave him a knowing grin.

Shinra bowed politely and stood off to the side with his award.

"The next award goes to Kyohei Kadota, for his excellent achievements in social studies, you were a devoted friend to everyone at this school and we will miss you."

Kadota blinked in surprise. "Seriously?" he glanced at Izaya and Shizuo, they shrugged at him and continued clapping with the other students. Kadota stepped onto the stage and bowed before receiving his trophy.

"Dota-chin looks so nervous, it's funny to see him like that."

Shizuo huffed a laugh. "You're an asshole."

Izaya looked at him with a grin. "Still?"

Shizuo nodded. "Always."

Kadota stood next to Shinra and they laughed quietly, thankful they weren't alone.

"My next awards go to two of our top students in Phys ed, their continued improvement and show of interest in track and other events, have won this school many sports competitions. Izaya Orihara and Shizuo Heiwajima, you are being awarded these trophies for such performances."

Izaya cringed and Shizuo covered his face with one hand, they both spouted in unison. "Shit." When they moved toward the stage, Izaya could hear his sisters shout over the crowds of students, and his parents whistle.

_So embarrassing, why couldn't they just stay at home. _Izaya tried to remain calm as he stood up onto the stage, followed by Shizuo. They bowed and took the trophy from the principal.

"I also award this envelope to you, Izaya Orihara, you remained a top student in every subject and even though there were set backs due to rough circumstances, you never faltered and worked to achieve up to your highest potential. Congratulations." Another loud applause erupted from students and parents, Izaya quickly made his way over to his friends, trying his hardest not to blush. "Shizuo Heiwajima, this envelope goes to you. I know you haven't had the greatest of starts in life, and it wasn't easy for you to adjust here, but you've shown promise each and every year, and I couldn't be more proud for your accomplishments, no one has worked harder then you to better yourself. Congratulations." The hall filled with cheers once more, Shizuo took his envelope and quickly stood beside his friends.

Shizuo grinned slightly and nudged Izaya's shoulder. "Know it all."

Izaya half glared at him. "Shut up. You're still a protozoan."

"And you're still a flea."

Izaya clicked his tongue but a smile came across his lips, Shizuo returned it.

Other rewards were handed out to other students, followed at last by the diplomas. Pictures were taken by families and by other friends, their year books were excessively passed around and signed, it was becoming overwhelming. The four friends gathered outside for some peace and quiet, taking their minds off the excitement within the hall.

Shinra couldn't help but smile, he was so happy, and he felt that he needed to say something. "Hey guys, I just – I just want to say, that because of you, my high school years were the best I ever had, you taught me all sorts of things and made me the person I am now, I couldn't have survived without you all by my side. Thank you."

Izaya grinned and lay his hand on Shinra's shoulder. "Don't get all weepy on us, Dota-chin will start crying."

Kadota glared at him. "What the hell? shut the hell up, damn it."

Izaya chuckled and then a serious expression came over his face. "You're right though, Shinra, I don't think I would even be here today if it weren't for any of you, I quite literally owe you my life, you always had my back, and I'm grateful."

Shizuo smiled and a slight tear appeared at his eyelid, he frowned and wiped it away. "God damn it flea." Izaya laughed at his expression, he jumped and wrapped his arms around him.

"Naw… don't cry Shizu-chan!"

Izaya laughed again when Shizuo shoved him off lightly, but Izaya remained in his arms, twisting so that Shizuo had no choice but to wrap his arms around him from behind. "Look, I can't thank you enough for what you did for me, you were the first people to ever talk to me and treat me like I was a human being, not a monster. I couldn't have achieved half as much as I did without either of you. I know we didn't always see eye to eye, but I always knew that you would be there for me." Shinra and Kadota smiled at him, Shizuo then tightened his hold on Izaya. "And I fell in love with this flea, I think that's a pretty big achievement too."

Izaya groaned in embarrassment at Shizuo's display of affection in front of their friends. He turned around to glare at him, even though he was blushing now, he punched him lightly and huffed as he lay his head against Shizuo's chest. "Stupid protozoan."

Kadota chuckled, the two had come along way since the beginning and he was so proud of them. "Pretty sure my life wouldn't be half as exciting as it was if I hadn't met you three, you guys taught me the true value of friendship and I can't wait to continue our adventures together. I couldn't be prouder to call you my friends, even though you're more like brothers."

Izaya turned around in Shizuo's arms and Shinra spread his arms out. "Group hug!" Shinra quickly pulled Kadota in before he had a chance to protest and Shizuo grinned and Izaya tried his best to push against them as they trapped him in the middle.

"You're all so mean! I can't breathe!" the three let up their hold, laughing at Izaya's pouting face.

"Iza-nii!" they turn to see Izaya's sisters running up to them, followed by their parents. Kyouko smiled with tears in her eyes and she held up her camera.

"Smile boys!"

A snapshot of them was taken, Shizuo and Izaya in the middle linking hands, Shinra next to Izaya with his arm wrapped around him. Kadota next to Shizuo with an arm casually around his shoulder.

….

"_I've been thinking," Shinra said to Izaya as they walked down the street toward their newly acquired office space within Shinjuku. It was a brand-new start, a brand-new place where they could test their skills they had learned over the years and embrace their full potential. _

"_What about?"_

_They turned a corner. "You've always been the confident one, and you have all these abilities, as much as I like to think I can be the key speaker, I think it might be best if you were in charge now. we're about to expand our business in the big world, and I don't think I have what it takes to keep up with the pressure. You're the best role for that, you should be in charge."_

_Izaya looked at him, before, while they had been at school, he hadn't wanted that – mainly because he hadn't thought they would last this long. now things were serious and they had gained so much for themselves, he could see Shinra's point. "All right, I'll be in charge, if you're sure."_

_Shinra smiled at him. "I'm sure."_

Izaya looked over with a grin as Shizuo and Kadota carried in another two large boxes from the van downstairs. Kadota glared over at him, Izaya was playfully spinning on his new swivel chair while testing the computer's functions every so often. "Some things really don't change."

Izaya laughed loudly and stood up with a stretch. "Shizu-chan and Dota-chin are still the strongest, it's only fair for you to carry the heavy boxes."

Kadota rolled his eyes, he tapped the blond's arm. "I'll get the last two from Shinra." The moment he left, Izaya stalked over to Shizuo and pressed him against the wall.

"So, how does it feel to be dating the boss?" Izaya grinned at him and kissed him hard on the lips.

Shizuo moaned against the kiss and then grasped Izaya's arms. "Don't give me any special treatment or anything, be unfair to the others… or something like that."

Izaya chuckled and pressed his body against him. "I don't know, I might reserve some special treatment, just for you."

Shizuo grinned, catching on to what Izaya meant. "Exceptions accepted."

Izaya kissed him again and Shizuo returned the kiss heatedly.

"I thought this was a professional ghost hunting business, or have I gotten the wrong place?"

The two pulled away from each other, glancing toward the door to see a tall brunette woman standing there, a hand to her hip, long straight hair. She was slender and wore a dark green skirt with a lighter green long sleeved shirt, black tights covered her legs and she wore black shoes. Izaya stepped toward her, a hand outstretched, she took it firmly.

"My name is Namie Yagiri, I'm here as your new appointed secretary, I have a vast amount of knowledge of the paranormal world and will sure to benefit your business Mr Orihara. I am also a trained shrine maiden, so please trust in my abilities and use them to suit the situation, I will return the favour and trust in yours."

Shizuo narrowed his eyes, why the hell did they need a secretary? She looked full of herself and the blond found himself already disliking her.

Izaya looked her up and down, a grin formed on his face. "You're trying to convince me you're a shrine maiden, while dressed like that?"

Namie gasped in horror and clenched her fists, she stomped her foot. "I am a well-respected maiden, you scrawny brat."

Izaya chuckled, oh he was going to have so much fun annoying her. "Tut. So polite, I can see I chose well." Namie huffed in annoyance. "You start tomorrow, 9am." Namie frowned at him and then left the office. "Well that was fun."

Shizuo rolled his eyes, he couldn't help but be annoyed by her presence. "Her attitude pisses me off."

Izaya chuckled. "Relax, regardless of her personality, she is particularly good at what she does, she'll be a significant help, I think. She's only a secretary though, she won't be joining us all the time."

Shizuo nodded, he wasn't going to argue, Izaya was in charge and if he thought they needed some more help, then he'd have to deal with it.

Just then, Kadota popped his head around the door as he placed two boxes against the wall. "Hey guys, let's go get something to eat and celebrate, we'll wait downstairs for you."

Izaya and Shizuo nod in agreement, Izaya took his jacket off the door's hook. Shizuo watched him slide his arms into the black long coat; the wrist's, the bottom half and the hood was fur-trimmed. Izaya placed his hands in his pockets and then glanced at Shizuo. "What?"

"I can't believe you brought that."

Izaya pouted. "I like this jacket; I think it suits me." Shizuo shrugged and they step out of the office. Izaya mumbled his next words quietly. "At least I don't look like a bartender."

Shizuo glared at him. "Shut the hell up! It's called making a good impression, fleabag!"

The two had bought their clothing with the award money they had received in the envelopes, neither had expected the cheque, each had received 10,000Y, so they used it to buy something personal. Izaya brought a new jacket, and Shizuo brought himself a suit.

Izaya grinned as Shizuo huffed and made his way down the steps. Izaya looked at the front of their office door as he closed it and locked it behind him, he smiled at the black lettering that titled their new business name.

**PRO: Psychic Research Office.**

**A/N: That's the end!****I'm crying now!****I can't believe it's over; I really hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did when I wrote it.****Be sure to lookout for the sequel soon, and I hope to see familiar usernames pop up then.****Love you all!**


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